PRESIDENT MUSEVENI RALLIES KIRUHURA AND KAZO TO EMBRACE PROFITABLE DAIRY FARMING

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged residents of Kiruhura and
Kazo districts to fully exploit their vast land for commercial dairy farming,
saying the cattle corridor has the potential to become Uganda’s largest
hub of milk-based wealth creation if farmers abandon free-range grazing
and adopt intensive production systems.

Addressing thousands of supporters at Nyakasharara playground in
Kiruhura District on Friday, 28 th November 2025, President Museveni,
accompanied by the First Daughter, Pastor Patience Rwabwogo, praised
the community for gradually shifting from nomadic livestock rearing to
commercial dairy farming but insisted that greater transformation is still
possible.

“The people of Kiruhura and Kazo, and the entire cattle corridor, thank
you for heeding our advice on working and grazing cows for wealth
creation. But do not stop,” he said.
“Free-range grazing makes the land underutilized. On one square mile,
you are managing only about 130 cows. But if you adopt zero grazing,
you can keep thousands of cows on the same land,” the President
emphasized, adding that wealth creation, not mere ownership of land or
livestock, is central to Uganda’s household prosperity agenda.

President Museveni illustrated his message with success stories of
farmers who have built thriving enterprises on small pieces of land by
adopting modern practices.

One such farmer is Joseph Ijala, a former taxi driver who now runs an
integrated farm on 2.5 acres. Ijala started with poultry and expanded into
dairy farming. He keeps 10,000-layer chickens, producing 310 trays of
eggs per day and earning more than Shs 3 million daily.

On just 1.5 acres of land, Ijala also practices zero-grazing dairy farming
with eight cows, producing a substantial amount of milk daily. Combined,
he earns about Shs 6.8 million per month from eggs and milk.
President Museveni said Ijala’s example demonstrates how zero grazing
drastically increases productivity.

“Ijala keeps eight cows on one acre. If that were a square mile, he would
keep over 4,000 cows,” he said.

Another example is Richard Nyakaana, a farmer in Kabarole whose
Kana Farm sits on only 1.2 acres. Nyakaana runs a range of enterprises,
including layer poultry, zero grazing, feed processing, and manure
production. With only six milking cows, he produces 120 litres of milk per
day, earning Shs 110,000 daily, amounting to Shs 20 million annually in
profit.

“You people in the cattle corridor have a lot of land. Use that land
profitably,” President Museveni urged. “The third contribution of the NRM
is wealth creation. Development benefits everyone, but wealth and
poverty are yours as a household.”

President Museveni also cited George Matongo, a dairy farmer from
Ngoma in Nakaseke, as a symbol of the transformative power of
commercial agriculture. Matongo, who reportedly never attained formal
education and lives far from infrastructure such as tarmac roads or
electricity, produces over 900 litres of milk per day and earns an
estimated Shs 21 million monthly.

“Matongo is extremely prosperous, yet he lives far from a tarmac road or
electricity,” H.E. Museveni said.
“Meanwhile, people are living next to smooth tarmac roads, but poverty
is the order of the day.”

The President said Matongo’s success underscores his long-held
message that wealth is created by individuals, not by the government,
and that the presence of roads or electricity alone cannot guarantee
household income.

“When I came to Rwakitura many years ago, I followed the grass and
invested in farming. People laughed at me. But by the time the tarmac
road and electricity arrived, I was already rich,” he said.

President Museveni reminded the gathering that upon taking power in
the mid-1980s, the new government prioritized mobilizing citizens to
embrace the money economy.

“In the 1996 manifesto, we introduced the four-acre model,” he said. “We
told people: one acre for coffee, one for fruits, one for family food crops,
and one for zero grazing. Then use the backyard for poultry, piggery, or
fish farming.”

Kiruhura District is one of Uganda’s leading milk producers, supported
by cattle-keeping communities and emerging processing facilities. The
President urged farmers to push for even higher productivity.

“Learn to plant grass for zero grazing and avoid free-range grazing. You
have the land; use it,” he said.

He hailed farmers who embraced this model early on, including those in
Nyabushozi, Kiruhura, and Ssembabule. But he also cited examples
from other regions, such as Joseph Basangwa of Kamuli, a commercial
poultry farmer producing about 200 trays of eggs daily and earning an
estimated Shs 20 million per day—translating into billions annually.
Basangwa employs more than 300 workers.

“People say jobs-jobs-jobs – but where do jobs come from? Agriculture,
factories, services, and ICT—not the government,” President Museveni
noted.

He stressed that while the government continues to deliver security and
development, families must take responsibility for creating wealth within
their households.

“Development is for all of us, but wealth is yours as a family,” he
repeated.

He highlighted the massive growth of industrial parks, including the Sino-
Mbale Industrial Park with over 75 factories, and the Namanve Industrial
Park with over 270 factories. These, he said, employ far more Ugandans
than government institutions, which have only 480,000 jobs for a
population nearing 50 million.

While reviewing social services, President Museveni noted that the
district has 74 government primary schools and 165 private primary
schools. For secondary education, Kiruhura has 7 government
secondary schools and 11 private secondary schools.

He said the proliferation of private schools in Kiruhura reflects improved
household incomes in the region.

“It shows wealth among the people, because they can afford school fees
in private schools,” he noted.

On health services, President Museveni observed that Kiruhura’s 14
sub-counties have one Health Centre IV and 13 Health Centre IIIs.
However, Akayanja Sub-County currently has no health facility. The
President assured the residents that the government plans to construct a
new HCIII there.

He also pledged to improve the road network connecting districts in the
greater Ankole region.

Earlier, Speaker of Parliament and NRM Second National Vice
Chairperson, Rt Hon. Anita Annet Among welcomed President Museveni
to Kiruhura and thanked residents for supporting the ruling party.

“We want to thank you, the people of Kiruhura, for bringing up a
son—President Museveni—who has taken Uganda from despair to
hope,” she said.

“Your son has brought peace to Uganda. The Bible says: ‘We shall know
them by their deeds,’ and we have seen President Museveni’s deeds.”

Speaker Among credited the President for introducing free education,
saying it enabled many Ugandans, including herself, to rise to positions
of responsibility.

“All we can do is continue praying for you and thanking you for
respecting the people of Kiruhura by coming to ask them for their vote,”
she said.

The event was attended by several NRM leaders, ministers, Members of
Parliament, and party flag bearers.