MUSEVENI: How Can I Celebrate Arsenal Victory yet Ugandans are Poor?

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Monday criticised political leaders who spend time celebrating Arsenal’s English Premier League victory while people in their constituencies continue to struggle with poverty, warning that ministers who fail to supervise government anti-poverty programmes risk losing their jobs.

Speaking during the opening of Uganda’s 12th Parliament at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, Museveni urged leaders in the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party to focus more on ensuring wealth creation programmes benefit ordinary citizens instead of getting carried away by foreign football celebrations.

During his speech, the president displayed a short video about a 64-year-old woman who, according to him, had never handled Shs1 million before benefiting from the Parish Development Model (PDM) revolving funds.

After the clip, Museveni turned his attention to Arsenal supporters celebrating the club’s first Premier League title in 22 years, which sparked widespread celebrations across Uganda.

“Somebody, one of my people, was writing to me that I go and celebrate Arsenal. Me, Yoweri Museveni?” he said.

“If I want, I play my football but I won’t celebrate. How can you celebrate European clubs when your people do not have money? You can support Arsenal, but first solve poverty if you are a leader,” he added.

Museveni directed most of his criticism at ministers and Members of Parliament, accusing them of neglecting poverty eradication despite billions of shillings invested in government programmes.

“I have been involved in fighting for Uganda’s future for more than 60 years,” he said, before warning that he would no longer tolerate leaders who seek titles but fail the people they represent.

“In the past, I have been polite and preached like John the Baptist, but now I will be very rough with people who want titles yet betray or ignore the people they lead,” Museveni stated.

The remarks came during a parliamentary sitting that saw Jacob Marksons Oboth-Oboth elected Speaker with 441 votes, while Thomas Tayebwa retained his position as Deputy Speaker with 457 votes, strengthening the NRM’s hold on Parliament leadership.

Museveni said every parish and ward in Uganda currently has at least Shs800 million under the PDM programme, including Shs500 million in fresh government funding and about Shs300 million expected to have revolved back into communities since the programme began over three years ago.

“If you are an NRM MP or minister, go to the parishes and ask where the Shs800 million is,” he said, noting that opposition leaders were free to operate independently.

The president warned ministers that failure to monitor the programme’s implementation could cost them their positions.

“Anybody who is a minister, if I come to your area and you have not done this work, I will sack you,” he warned.

Museveni also revealed plans to increase PDM funding by an additional Shs200 million per parish annually starting in the 2026/27 financial year, a move that could raise revolving capital to more than Shs2 billion per parish by 2031.