VERY LAUGHABLE: "Museveni Will Sell His Cows and Milk to Get Money to Give Each MP Shs100m" – Minister

Closing the 2026 NRM leaders’ retreat in Kyankwanzi, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni pledged financial support to newly elected legislators. Museveni said MPs would receive facilitation ahead of their swearing-in, alongside additional support later.

The first batch would be Shs20m, the president said, attracting loud cheers from the newly elected MPs.

“I am looking at something small for your swearing-in and something else later. So, don’t pollute yourselves, it’s not necessary. We can have institutional solutions rather than corruption solutions,” he said.

The week-long retreat, held at the National Leadership Institute Kyankwanzi, brought together newly elected National Resistance Movement (NRM) legislators and NRM-leaning Independents. The discussions focused on aligning leadership priorities to protect national gains and accelerate Uganda’s transition to a higher middle-income status.

The Shs100m pledge attracted criticism on government priorities and parliamentary corruption, which Museveni himself spoke against, saying: ““I do not want to hear of corruption in Parliament. If there is corruption in Parliament, how will you control others? You are the oversight body.”

Now, Minsa Kabanda, the Minister for Kampala and Metropolitan Affairs, who is also the Kampala Central MP-elect, says that the money that Museveni will dish out will not be government money.

Kabanda says that instead of using taxpayers’ money to support MPs, who are fresh from expensive parliamentary elections, Museveni will withdraw money from his bank accounts, sell his cows, milk and beef to fulfill his pledge.

Minister Kabanda equated MPs to Museveni’s children, and to whom he can dish out free things as and when he wants.

“The money that the president dishes out is not government money: it is his money. He is a cattle keeper and he took us to tour his farm. It is not government money. It is money out of his pocket just like you can say ‘let me give something to my children,” noted Kabanda, who was speaking in Luganda.

“[Museveni] said he is going to first give us Shs20m, and then give us the Shs80m later. He has not given us the money because he will have to first look for it. The money will come from his accounts. He is a cattle keeper, he sells milk and beef.

We toured his farm and he told us that is his property. He has farms in Kyankwanzi, in Rwakitura, in Kisozi; he has very many cows there. If he sells and gives us some money. As his children, let us also eat part of his money.”

But government critics have punched holes in Minister Kabanda’s claims that Museveni will sell his cows to give MPs money.

Museveni owns thousands of cows. Years ago, he even appointed a presidential advisor on Ankole cows and other indigenous breeds, as reported Here and There.

“They think they can hoodwink the population!” reacted leader of opposition in parliament and Nakawa West MP Joel Ssenyonyi, who also speaks for the main opposition National Unity Platform (NUP).

They think they can hoodwink the population! pic.twitter.com/9AcwTruGO1

— Joel Ssenyonyi (@JoelSsenyonyi) April 16, 2026

David Lewis Rubongoya, who lost to Minsah Kabanda in the 2026 Kampala Central parliamentary race, wrote: “Shamelessness beyond words. And that’s why they go to every length to steal elections because that’s their gateway to looting from the tax payer.”

Meanwhile, each NRM MP will be assured of Shs415m even before being sworn in, on top of juicy allowances and a salary.