President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has cautioned aspiring politicians especially members of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) against joining politics when they are financially unstable, saying poverty drives desperation, corruption, and division within the party.
Speaking during a meeting with NRM Members of Parliament and independents who lost in the recent party primaries, held at State Lodge Arua, President Museveni said leaders must first build a firm economic foundation before entering elective politics.
“You shouldn’t join politics when you are poor,” he warned. “In your case, the government can inject more money into the parliamentary SACCOs. Take a soft loan, build yourself economically, and when you are set, come back when you are financially stable.”
Museveni advised that political engagement should not come at the cost of personal ruin.
“If you have like Shs400 million, inject only 40 percent of it in politics not all. You shouldn’t go into debt because of politics,” he said, stressing that financially desperate politicians are easily compromised.
The President explained that financially independent leaders make more stable and principled decisions, helping the country build a sustainable political culture.
“In that way, we can be able to build a very stable leadership in this country,” he noted.
While the meeting’s main agenda focused on reconciliation with MPs who lost in the primaries, Museveni used the occasion to deliver a broader message about integrity and discipline in politics.
He cautioned losing candidates against standing as independents, warning that internal divisions could hand victory to the opposition. However, he emphasized that the greater danger comes when individuals use politics as a shortcut to wealth.
“Politics should not be a business for survival it should be a service to the people,” Museveni said.
The meeting was attended by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Museveni, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa, several ministers, and members of the NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC).
