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Museveni: How can I celebrate Arsenal’s championship yet Ugandans are in poverty?
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard lifts the Premier League trophy as he celebrates with teammates at Selhurst Park on May 24, 2026.
What you need to know:
- Arsenal celebrations draw Museveni rebuke amid poverty concerns.
The Ugandan leader, in power since taking office in 1986, said he does not want to hear assertions that “there is poverty in his country” and warned of possible dismissal of ministers as he addressed Parliament.
President Museveni on Monday mocked political leaders preoccupied with celebrating Arsenal’s English Premier League triumph while people in their constituencies remain poor, warning that he would sack new ministers who fail to supervise government anti-poverty programmes.
Speaking during the opening of Uganda’s 12th Parliament at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, Museveni said ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party leaders must focus less on foreign football excitement and more on ensuring government wealth creation funds reach ordinary citizens.
During his address, Museveni projected a short clip telling the story of a 64-year-old woman whom he said had never handled Shs1 million before benefiting from revolving Parish Development Model (PDM) funds in recent years.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni delivers his speech during the launch of the Kisumu-Malaba Standard Gauge Railway at Kibos in Kisumu County on March 21, 2026.
Immediately after the clip, the veteran leader turned his attention to leaders celebrating Arsenal’s first Premier League title in 22 years, a triumph that sparked celebrations across Uganda, where the London club enjoys one of its largest support bases in Africa.
“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 be celebrating European clubs when your people do not have money? You can have Arsenal but first solve poverty if you are a leader,” he added.
But Museveni directed his criticism mainly at political leaders like ministers and MPs whom he accused of neglecting poverty eradication despite billions of shillings already injected into government programmes.
“I will have to be clear to everybody, I have been involved in fighting for Uganda’s future in the last 60-plus years,” he said, before warning that: “In the past, I’ve been polite and I talk and preach as if I’m John the Baptist, but now I will be very, very, very rough with people who want titles but betray or don’t care about the people they lead.”
The remarks came during a parliamentary sitting that saw Jacob Marksons Oboth-Oboth elected Speaker with 441 votes and incumbent Thomas Tayebwa returned as Deputy Speaker with 457 votes as the ruling NRM tightened its grip on the leadership of Uganda’s 12th Parliament.
According to Museveni, every parish and ward in Uganda currently has at least Shs800 million under the Parish Development Model (PDM), made up of Shs500 million in fresh government allocations and Shs300 million expected to have revolved back into communities since the programme was rolled out more than three years ago.
“If you say you are a leader… MP, minister of NRM; the opposition I can’t control them. They can do their own things. But NRM ones should go to the parishes and ask where’s the Shs800m?” he said.
The president warned ministers that failure to monitor the programmes could cost them their positions.
“Anybody who is a minister, if I come to your area and you’ve done this, I will sack you,” he remarked.
A visibly irked and firm President Museveni reiterated that the new government plans to increase PDM funding by an additional Shs200 million per parish annually in the 2026/27 financial year, potentially raising the revolving capital to more than Shs2 billion per parish by 2031.
Museveni reiterated that he had grown increasingly frustrated seeing poverty persist despite available government capital.
“I’m now in a very bad mood because the capital is there. Use the money,” he said, adding: “Enough is enough. Every so-called leader must use government programmes and eradicate poverty and create jobs.”
‘Why are you hugging?’
The president concluded by cautioning lawmakers against ignoring Ebola prevention guidelines after Uganda confirmed two additional cases on Monday, bringing the country’s tally to seven under the May outbreak.
“I was watching all of you shaking hands and… do these people know that there’s Ebola,” Museveni told MPs.
“Ebola doesn’t go through breathing but contact, handshaking and hugging. Why do you hug? Set an example until this Ebola goes away,” he appealed.
Museveni reacts to Oboth, Tayebwa wins
Reacting to the victories, Museveni said the results reflected his long-standing strategy of building broad political alliances beyond the NRM’s numerical strength in Parliament.
“When you are making alarm for food, you make a small one because you don’t want many people to come but when you make alarm for war, you make a big one,” he said.
“NRM members in Parliament are just over 372 but they have been joined by others and that is how we got the 457 for Tayebwa and 441 for Oboth. So, you can see my strategy of making big alarm. It is the NRM plus the independents plus some good opposition people. But I must mourn my 15 votes which Mao took away because I’m in alliance with him. Those are also my votes. Then my son Akena through the girl [Sarah Aguti]. We shall sort it out,” he added.
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- Written by David Vosh Ajuna.
