On Monday, President Yoweri Museveni and First Lady Janet Museveni welcomed a group of Kiruhura and Kazo district residents to their country residence in Rwakitura.

The meeting came after the group completed a field study at Richard Nyakana’s model farm in Rwengaju, Fort Portal.

During the conversation, residents thanked President Museveni for urging them to join in the money economy.

“Your Excellency, on behalf of our group, I would want to thank you for waking us up and showing us the light. We had been sleeping, but after visiting Mr Nyakana, we are now ready to work and improve the lives of our families,” said Alice Nabaasa, the group’s chairperson.

The group first met with the President at his property in Kisozi, Gomba area, in February of this year.

They agreed to join him in rallying Ugandans to generate money through commercial agriculture.

The President was pleased that the group had taken his advise and decided to explore Nyakana’s farm in order to learn from it.

He recommended them to embrace commercial agriculture with the proper businesses, claiming that they would be able to make a lot of money from little areas of land, just like Nyakana.

President Museveni went on to explain that Nyakana earns over sh188 million a year from just one acre of land, where he raises cows for dairy and poultry farming.

He recommended the group to pursue dairy farming, coffee growing, chicken farming, fish farming, and food crops for immediate and visible results.

“You should labor for both the stomach and the pocket but do so with “ekibaro” [calculation] and to strengthen that, change from extensive agriculture to intense agricultural practices.”

Museveni promised to build a demonstration farm comparable to Nyakana on the Nshaara government ranch to benefit both the people of Uganda’s western region and the country as a whole.

He also promised to send silage choppers to each parish and tractors to each sub-county in the districts to help farmers carry out their operations successfully.

‘Wealth creation is the core’

Museveni, on the other hand, recommended his guests to avoid land fragmentation, highlighting the dangers associated with it.

He proposed that in cases of inheritance, beneficiaries receive shares of the property rather than dividing it into small plots.

“Stop physically dividing family property after your parents’ deaths. Form associations and divide the income from the property.”

He also reinforced his earlier statement that leaders should prioritize bringing their people out of poverty over spending more time in politics.

The President compared politicians to doctors for their constituents, stating that they should be able to recognize and solve their problems.

“Everyone must participate in wealth production. The primary goal is to create wealth.”

The First Lady, for her part, thanked the group for following the President’s instructions to enhance their livelihoods and the lives of people they lead by creating riches.

She encouraged them to work harder to suit their requirements.

“It is a great opportunity to address young leaders who are not self-centered,” she went on to say.

MPs Wilson Kajwengye (Nyabushozi county), Jovanice Rwenduru (Kiruhura district Woman MP), Herbert Tayebwa (Kashongi county), Dan Kimosho (Kazo county), Jennifer Muheesi (Kazo district Woman MP), and district chairpersons Dan Mukago Rutetebya (Kiruhura) and Rev. Samuel Mugisha Katugunda (Kazo District), among others, attended the meeting.