KAMPALA — President Yoweri Museveni vowed to fully implement free universal education in government schools if reelected in 2026, citing high dropout rates due to unaffordable school fees. Speaking at the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Special Interest Groups conference at Kololo Independence Grounds on Monday, Museveni declared that free education would be his top priority for his next term.
“Where we are going in the new term, if you support the NRM and we win the election, we are going to insist on free education in government schools,” said Museveni, who also serves as the party’s national chairperson.
He acknowledged the persistent failure to effectively implement the universal education policy despite it being in place. “This one has not been implemented. We are always talking about it, but it is never implemented,” he said.
Museveni pointed to national education statistics to support his position. He said that while government primary schools are fewer in number (over 12,000) compared to private primary schools (32,000), they accommodate significantly more learners—about 9 million in government schools versus 1 million in private schools.
He provided similar statistics for secondary education, noting that government schools, despite being fewer (over 14,000), host more than 1 million of the 1.7 million secondary students in the country. He said these figures indicate a public preference for government schools due to their lower costs.
“So, this shows you where the people want to study because of the lower costs,” he said. “That is why the school fees must be removed so that they study for free.”
Museveni urged NRM members and local leaders to hold school officials and parents’ associations accountable for charging illegal fees. He also called for grassroots mobilization to integrate rural households into the money economy, noting that Uganda’s economy has grown to $66 billion from $3.9 billion in 1986, yet 33% of households remain outside the formal economy.
“We are saying that all families must join the money economy,” Museveni emphasized. He cited success stories like Joseph Ijara from Serere district, who now earns about 700 million shillings annually from farming.
The president also issued a stern warning to corrupt officials, particularly those misusing funds from programs like the Parish Development Model. “Don’t allow corrupt people to undermine your progress. Trap those people and we will arrest them,” he said. He also called for vigilance against the theft of medicines from public hospitals, revealing that the Health Ministry is developing a digital tracking system to monitor medical supplies.
NRM Secretary-General Richard Todwong called on party members to maintain unity during internal elections. “Internal contradictions should not make you enemies, but should make you gain more strength and courage,” he said. Earlier, Todwong said over 45,000 delegates, including opposition leaders and foreign visitors, were expected at the conference.
