It begins with a rumour. Then a WhatsApp post. A new nickname. Suddenly, the village comedian is an “aspiring MP.”
The town butcher wants to be LC3 chairperson. The boda stage chairman is printing campaign posters. The 2026 election fever is here—and it is spreading faster than a TikTok trend.
But let’s face it: most people are not running for office because they want to serve. Not because the people are demanding them. Not because they have written manifestos or studied budgets.
They are running because, in Uganda, politics pays way better than honest work. Full stop. We made a dangerous structural mistake. We moved too much money out of the economy—and poured it into politics.
Today, a member of Parliament earns more than Shs 35 million a month in salary and perks. Add allowances, vehicles, travel, and per diems. Meanwhile, a qualified engineer in the private sector is lucky to take home Shs 8 million.
A doctor in a public hospital may earn Shs 5 million—after ten years of saving lives. Uganda now has about 3.4 million elected leaders out of 48 million people. That is roughly one elected leader for every 14 citizens.
And as we approach the 2026 elections, the list is growing. Everyone wants a seat. Radio shows are full of campaign rhetoric. Social media is plastered with nice posters funded by savings, loans — and sometimes, school fees. Why?
Because we have made political office the gateway to wealth. The only elevator that is not out of service. Meanwhile, our real economy—where wealth should be generated—is gasping for air.
The young man running a welding shop and employing five youths pays taxes, rent, and bills. But no one calls him ‘honourable.’ The woman making crafts and exporting them struggles to get credit. But she is not invited to workshops. No media attention. No fuel refund.
We have built a culture where politics seems to be the only path to prosperity. If you are not running for something, people ask if you are okay. Imagine if we flipped the script. Imagine if the same excitement we have for posters, rallies and convoys was directed toward businesses.
Imagine if 3.4 million Ugandans ran profitable enterprises instead of campaigns. If each employed just two people, we would create about 7 million jobs—without adding to the government payroll. If you want to build a middle- income economy, you don’t start with slogans.
You start with welders, tailors, coders, beekeepers, farmers, and electricians. Emyoga makes sense. We need more billionaires in (agri) business — not in parliament. We must stop rewarding politics more than productivity. So, how do we fix it?
One: De-financialize politics.
Cut the excessive costs of public offices. Slash unnecessary allowances. Limit foreign travel. Let political office be a calling — not a cash cow.
Two: Put serious money in the economy. Inject real capital into businesses. Build markets. Fund local factories.
Give tax incentives to genuine manufacturers. Let people feel that it pays to work—not just to win elections.
Three: Professionalize leadership. Require a track record of service or enterprise before someone can hold office. If you have never built anything, you shouldn’t start with building a country.
Four: Reform campaign financing. Place legal limits on campaign spending. Remove money as an overt or covert qualifier for in check! They report on election campaigns, provide information about the candidates and parties, convey political agendas, fact-check the statements made by political candidates, investigate and expose any election fraud and violations.
Therefore, they serve as guardians of truth, informed debate, transparency in a democratic and cohesive society (forth estate). Usually, threats of violence and attacks against journalists are not properly investigated.
This impunity emboldens the perpetrators of the crimes. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed November 2 as the ‘International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists’{Resolution A/ RES/68/163}.
The resolution urged member states to implement definite measures to encounter the present culture of impunity against justice to the journalists. Uganda (EC), it is high time to organise budgets in training journalists in the spirit behind elections, electoral processes and ethical communication to the vision of the elections.
Sourcing political communication experts to elucidate election facets, techniques, and press manipulation for their service is imperative. The perpetrators of electoral violence, it is time to repent also and convert to reflect civility and true charity as God reminds us in Psalm11:5, about God’s hatred for those who love violence and calling for forgiveness and reconciliation. leadership.
Five: Change the story. Let the media and schools celebrate entrepreneurs. Highlight job creators.
Tell success stories of brickmakers, chicken rearers, software developers. Show kids that wealth can come from value — not votes. We cannot campaign our way out of poverty. We cannot poster our way to prosperity.
We must produce more, innovate more, export more. We need more hammers than hashtags. More code than convoys. More workshop tools than hotel workshops. Leadership is critical.
But its job is to guide and regulate—not to consume the lion’s share of national resources. Politics should be the referee—not the striker. The 2026 elections are months away. Analysts estimate a candidate may need more than Shs 500 million to contest for a parliamentary seat.
We must shift the tide. Let us challenge our youths to build, not beg. Let us encourage women to invest, not just endorse. Let us ask ourselves before every campaign launch — could this money have started a business?
Could this airtime have marketed a product? Let us turn our country from a campaign ground into a construction site. Let us make politics serve the economy—not swallow it.
We must leave future generations with more industries than flyers. With more CEOs than MPs. With more wealth creators than candidates. Because in the end, a vibrant economy is what feeds, shelters, and sustains a nation—not a bloated parliament or siren convoys.
Let us put more money in the hands of builders—not just ballot box dreamers.
The writer is a member of the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC)
