The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries has stepped up efforts to transform farming in the Greater Luwero region with a major donation of farm inputs aimed at boosting household incomes and accelerating agro-industrialisation.
The initiative falls under the Greater Luwero Social Economic Empowerment Programme, an affirmative-action project launched in 2024 to uplift the districts of Luwero, Nakaseke, and Nakasongola.
The programme was conceived after long-standing complaints that, despite their pivotal role in the National Resistance Army war of 1981-86, these districts have struggled to attract the investment needed to reduce poverty and modernise agriculture.
On Thursday, the ministry distributed a package of inputs: 40,000 coffee seedlings, 60 stainless-steel milk cans, 50 maize shellers, 600 tarpaulins, 3,000 improved chicks, 45 forage choppers, fertilisers, and vaccine refrigerators, among others.
The supplies target both crop and livestock farmers and are intended to increase productivity, reduce post-harvest losses, and stimulate value addition across the agricultural value chain.
State Minister for Animal Industry Retired Col. Bright Rwamirama said the government has refined its delivery strategy to ensure farmers receive inputs directly and on time. He urged beneficiaries to adopt modern farming practices to maximise returns.
“The President remains committed to lifting Greater Luwero out of poverty. The key is for farmers to use these resources wisely and embrace best practices,” he noted.
//Cue in; “Ggwe mubanja…
Cue out… Mukube ka yellow.”//
To tackle recurring Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreaks, Dr Anna Rose Ademun, the Commissioner for Animal Health, announced that the government has procured adequate vaccines to protect all cattle in the region. Pastoralists will contribute a small fee to sustain the vaccination programme and prevent costly quarantines.
Mathias Rutaha, a pastoralist from Nalubobya in Nakasongola, said the milk-Can he received will help preserve and market his milk. Joseph Lwevuze of Ntangaala, Luwero, said a new maize sheller will improve the quality and market value of their grain.
However, opposition politicians argue the programme doubles as an early campaign strategy for the 2026 general election. They accuse the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) of using agricultural interventions to woo voters in a region where President Yoweri Museveni’s popularity has waned.
In the 2021 polls, Museveni polled only 27.94 per cent of votes in Luwero, while opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi of the National Unity Platform secured 70.45 per cent. The NRM also lost all four parliamentary seats and several local government positions.
NRM Deputy Secretary General Rosemary Namayanja, who coordinates the empowerment programme, dismissed the criticism. “Campaigns cannot derail the government from delivering services. Our mandate to improve livelihoods remains,” she said, urging residents to support leaders who prioritise development.
It remains to be seen whether this ambitious injection of agricultural resources can reverse political tides in the area. But for many farmers across the region, the immediate focus is to turn these inputs into thriving agribusinesses and stronger household incomes. URN