President Yoweri Museveni has cautioned Uganda’s leaders against populism, urging them to focus on monitoring government programs and ensuring effective service delivery rather than seeking popularity through cash handouts.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday 23rd October, 2025, in Gulu, Museveni criticized some leaders for taking loans to distribute money to the population instead of ensuring government initiatives are effectively implemented.

Sometimes leaders resort to populism, giving money to the people and going into debt. I wish they would use their mandate to oversee government programs like Emyooga and PDM, and to check why roads are not completed. If they monitored these programs properly, we could make great progress, because that is their real responsibility,”  the President said.

Museveni highlighted Uganda’s inclusive democratic framework, noting that MPs represent a wide range of societal segments, including women, youth, workers, the elderly, the disabled, and the military.

He emphasized that the effectiveness of democracy depends on leaders exercising oversight and accountability, rather than merely performing symbolic roles.

“Our democracy is real democracy, not a theater like in some other countries. We represent all broad sections of the population,” the President said.

“We also have MPs for the disabled, workers, youth, soldiers, and the elderly. I would like to know which country is more democratic than that,” Museveni added.

Linking the nation’s democratic system to practical service delivery, the president stressed that Uganda’s governance framework provides the tools for progress, but outcomes depend on how leaders exercise their mandate.

He concluded by urging leaders to move beyond populist gestures, focus on ensuring government programs reach the people, and uphold accountability and effective monitoring as keys to the country’s continued development.