Agency
President Museveni has directed leaders of veterans’ associations to convene for a comprehensive audit of more than 231 billion shillings disbursed over the years to support veterans’ wealth-creation initiatives.
The directive was issued during this year’s virtual 37th National Heroes’ Day anniversary commemorations at State House, Nakasero.
Museveni said the meeting would establish how the funds distributed since 2008 have been utilized and whether the intended beneficiaries received the support that the government allocated to them.
According to the President, the planned review will revisit resolutions reached during a 2009 meeting with veterans’ leaders, where the government agreed to provide five million shillings to each recognized liberation war leader and his spouse.
The meeting also agreed that each of the cadres that contributed to the struggle shoud be allocated 1.5 million shillings each.
The President said the exercise is intended to determine how much each category of beneficiary received and whether the programme achieved its objective of improving household incomes among veterans.
He said the 231 billion shillings under review excludes agricultural seedlings distributed through Operation Wealth Creation, describing that programme as a separate intervention.
Museveni recalled that when Operation Wealth Creation was launched, he directed that veterans’ families should be among the first beneficiaries of seedling distribution to support commercial agriculture.
The President also indicated that the leadership of Operation Wealth Creation would participate in the planned meeting to account for the implementation of those interventions.
While acknowledging that many veterans have since died, Museveni said the government would explore ways of ensuring that surviving family members, particularly children, continue to benefit from the support programmes established in recognition of their parents’ contribution to the liberation struggle.
He also proposed reforms to the management of veterans’ savings and credit cooperatives (SACCOs), arguing that smaller and more localized structures would improve accountability and make services more accessible to members.
Drawing parallels with the Parish Development Model, the President suggested that veteran SACCOs should be organized closer to communities to strengthen supervision and participation.
Museveni further announced plans to establish seedling breeding facilities at presidential farms, including those in Kawumu Presidential Farm and Gomba Presidential Farm, to ensure a reliable supply of quality planting materials for veterans engaged in agriculture.
He said the initiative would complement existing wealth creation programmes and improve productivity among veterans’ households.
The President cited examples of beneficiaries who had successfully invested government grants into livestock and coffee farming, arguing that proper utilization of relatively modest capital can significantly improve rural livelihoods.
Earlier, Alice Kaboyo, the Minister of State for the Luwero Triangle, reported that the government has so far paid one-off gratuities to 13,681 veterans in the current phase, bringing the cumulative total of civilian veterans compensated to 93,514.
She also highlighted ongoing efforts to support veterans through housing construction, education infrastructure rehabilitation, enterprise grants, and iron sheet distribution, while calling for increased funding to expand affirmative action programmes in the Luwero, Rwenzori, and Busoga sub-regions.
The planned audit is expected to scrutinize the implementation of veteran support programmes spanning nearly two decades as the government seeks to strengthen accountability and improve the effectiveness of wealth creation initiatives targeted at former liberation fighters and their families.
