Museveni Praises Catholic Church’s Role in Fighting Poverty

MUBENDE- President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has expressed gratitude to the Catholic Church for its active role in fighting poverty and promoting socio-economic development.

He emphasized the importance of combining spiritual guidance with practical efforts to uplift communities economically.

“I’m happy to see that the priest is walking in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, whose mission included preaching the gospel, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and working as a carpenter. I have seen the coffee, cows, and pigs that are helping our people. I’m also going to help them,” President Museveni said.

He made the remarks on Tuesday, 15th April 2025, at Busunju Parish in Mityana South Constituency during his wealth creation tour in the Greater Mubende region under the Parish Development Model (PDM).

Museveni visited the wealth creation projects of Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Kiyimba, a Catholic priest and farmer. Fr. Kiyimba has several enterprises, including seven dairy cows (four of which give 25 liters of milk per day), 12 pigs that earn him Shs 5 million per year, and 6.8 acres of Robusta coffee that earn him Shs 7.8 million per harvest.

President Museveni pledged Shs 100 million to support the priest’s efforts, Shs 500 million for church construction, a tractor, and a school bus. He also supported the LC1 chairperson with Shs 9 million and gave Shs 5 million for upgrading the village stadium.

The President highlighted the significant role religious institutions play in Uganda’s socio-economic transformation.

During the tour, he reviewed the progress of the PDM, which aims to shift communities from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture. In Mityana District, Shs 19.3 billion was allocated between 2021/22 and 2024/25, with Shs 15.5 billion already disbursed to 75 PDM SACCOs. In Mityana Municipality, 15 SACCOs have received Shs 3.1 billion out of Shs 3.9 billion.

President Museveni was also informed by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja about school dropout challenges in the area. He pledged to address the issue, noting that government schools should be free.

According to the 2024 census, the subregion has a population of 1.7 million, with over 1 million being of school-going age.

Minister of Lands, Hon. Judith Nabakooba, reported that the PDM program is well embraced and requested more funding. She also appealed for key roads in the region to be tarmacked.

Greater Mubende includes Kassanda, Kiboga, Kyankwanzi, Mityana, Mubende, and their municipalities.

The event was attended by government officials, Members of Parliament, and religious leaders. Earlier, the President visited other PDM beneficiaries, including a poultry farmer and a coffee nursery.

The PDM is a government initiative to fight poverty by empowering communities at the grassroots level.