President Yoweri Museveni has insisted on a temporary halt on the creation of new administrative units, saying government must first focus on funding development projects and wealth creation before expanding bureaucracy.
Speaking during a press briefing in Soroti City towards the end of his campaign trail in the Teso subregion, the President said the government’s priority is to strengthen infrastructure and support productive enterprises rather than multiply administrative costs.
“You cannot have a sub-county on every hill when you have no money to tarmac the road,” Museveni said. “Let’s first build the economy: roads, electricity and factories before adding more administration.”
The President said while decentralization had brought services closer to the people, the proliferation of new districts, sub-counties and town councils had stretched government resources.
He noted that salaries, office rent, vehicles and administrative costs were consuming funds that could otherwise support roads, schools and industrial growth.
“We are not saying we shall never create new units,” Museveni added. “But we must first finish the essential services. Let us develop first administration can wait.”
Museveni used the Soroti briefing to rally the Teso subregion to focus on enterprise selection identifying specific economic activities suited to local conditions.
He said Teso’s comparative advantage lies in fruit farming, especially citrus and mangoes, which can feed directly into the Soroti Fruit Factory.
“When I fly over Teso, I see many fruit trees,” the President said. “That’s your money. Now that the factory is working, you must produce more. Don’t look for white-collar jobs look for wealth from your land.”
The Soroti Fruit Factory, which processes mangoes and oranges into juice and concentrate for both local and export markets, has been identified by government as a key pillar of value addition and regional industrialization.
Museveni said such enterprises will not only create jobs but also drive Uganda’s broader goal of import substitution and export promotion under the NRM’s wealth creation agenda.
“We don’t want every region doing everything,” he said. “Choose what fits your area, and government will support you. That’s how we build wealth not through endless administrative structures.”
Museveni’s remarks come at a time when several districts and sub-counties across the country have been lobbying for elevation to new administrative status. The President said while decentralization remains important, government must balance service delivery with fiscal discipline.
He urged Ugandans to focus on productive activities that create jobs and income rather than seeking new government offices, saying the NRM’s legacy must be measured by wealth and transformation, not by the number of administrative boundaries.
“You cannot eat a sub-county,” he said. “You eat from the land, from business, from work. Let’s first make Uganda rich then we can afford more administration.”
Since 1986, Uganda’s administrative structure has expanded from 33 districts to more than 140, significantly increasing the cost of governance.
The pause on new units is expected to allow government to channel more funds toward infrastructure, agriculture, industrialization and social services.
In Teso, projects like the Soroti Fruit Factory and skilling programs under the Parish Development Model are part of efforts to shift the region from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture.
hokurut51@gmail.com, +256700114138
