Make money, get out of poverty - Uganda president tells women

President Museveni has called upon women movements to teach women how to make money and increase household income to help their families out of poverty.

While delivering his International Women’s Day address at State House yesterday, the President urged the public to be involved in at least four areas; commercial agriculture, small factories (industrialisation), services and ICT.

“The issue is money, you must have income; you must resolve the issue of household incomes. Seek first the kingdom of heaven, the rest shall be added unto you…, seek first the issue of homestead income, the rest shall be added.

"If you have income, even if you are in the village, you will have solar power even before this electricity of UEB (Uganda Electricity Board) comes,” he said.

Mr Museveni implored women movements to stop scattering their efforts but rather focus on household income.

“Therefore, please women movement, don’t scatter your efforts talking about very many things. Concentrate on the core and the core is household income.

"Of course what Mutuuzo (Peace Mutuuzo, minister for Gender and Culture) is saying is correct in a way because she is saying that even when the family earns, those useless husbands can steal the money, and divert it but that’s the next problem,” he said.

“Remember the figures of the census that 68 per cent of homesteads are only working for the stomach? You have got that situation, you can talk for ages…but I don’t think you are going to move. It can be done (social economic transformation)…I did it when I was a student, and I was not a leader, an MP,” Mr Museveni added.

The President said he economically transformed himself, giving an example of his wife and mother to prove his point.

Economic transformation

“What is the difference between the Janet-like woman and Esteri Kokundeka-like woman, my mother? The difference is that the other one carries the baby on the back. Janet here has never carried a baby on her back.

"Not one day has she carried a baby on her back. The children were pushed in the prams. So really we must stop wasting time talking. Things are very clear… Janet is here, it’s not fiction she is not a horse,” Mr Museveni said.

He said women contract some diseases from bushes where they go to collect firewood and rivers where they fetch water.

Ms Mutuuzo said 95 per cent of Ugandan women are in the informal sector that saved the economy during the lockdown while they slept in markets, sustained themselves and their families.

Ms Mutuzo implored all Ugandans to stop violence against women and girls.

Meanwhile, the President noted that there has been progress on Covid-19 fight as he congratulated Ugandans for listening to government’s advice, which has contributed to a decline in virus deaths and infections.