Ministers hail CDF Kainerugaba for setting up sh1b MK Fund

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Two Cabinet ministers have hailed Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba for setting up the shillings one billion MK Fund for the most vulnerable Ugandans.

Dr Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero (health) and Frank Tumwebaze (agriculture) took to X, formerly Twitter, on March 10, 2026, to salute the CDF and laud the initiative that will serve those segments of society that are most vulnerable, such as urban youths.

“Congratulations Gen. @mkainerugaba for this excellent vision of empowering the youth with seed capital to enable them to start income-generating activities,” Aceng, who is also a member of the Fund’s board of trustees, posted.

She said the Fund will also complement government poverty alleviation programs such as the Parish Development Model.

“Applications will be made online via a website established by the Fund. The board will provide direction and oversight to the MK Fund,” Aceng said.

She told the youth that Kainerugaba, who is known in political circles by his initials MK, is for them.

“To the youth, Gen. MK is for you.”

Tumwebaze, who is also a member of the board of trustees, thanked the CDF for coming up with this “philanthropic initiative which seeks to support young entrepreneurs with seed grants”.

“May the almighty God bless this initiative!” he prayed.

Veteran journalist and spokesperson of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), Andrew Mwenda, said in a statement that the CDF chaired the inaugural meeting of the MK Fund in Fort Portal City on March 10, 2026.

“Gen. Muhoozi said the Fund will serve those segments of society that are most vulnerable such as urban youths,” he said.

Mwenda also said the Fund will be giving seed grants to youths with innovative business ideas in commercial agriculture, services, local manufacturing and ICT.

He explained that the seed grants will be given to individuals with each person receiving not more than shillings one million in cash and that beneficiaries will not need to pay back the money.

“The only payback will be the success of the recipient,” he quoted Muhoozi as saying.

Muhoozi, who is the chairperson of the board of trustees of the MK Fund and also the chairperson of PLU, also said the board is meant to provide direction and oversight to the Fund.

“He also said the board will set up a review committee to examine and evaluate applications from those who want to apply for money from the Fund,” Mwenda said.

Members of the board, include Aceng (health) and Tumwebaze (agriculture), city lawyer Edwin Karugire, who is its secretary and Mwenda.

The PLU spokesperson also stated that the fund is going to establish a website through which applications will be submitted online.

“Details of the eligibility for accessing the fund will be found on the website. Although the initial size will be sh1b, the chairman and the board of trustees will look for ways to grow the fund so that it does not get exhausted and also be able to serve more people,” he said.

He added that the fund will ensure that a minimum of 30% of the grants will go to female candidates and that it will also ensure regional balancing.

PLU, formerly known as the MK Movement, was launched in Kampala on February 7, 2024, as a civic organisation to mobilise Ugandans towards the goal of national unity, peace and stability.

However, the MK Movement started in April 2022 as “a spontaneous and diverse group of Ugandans that rallied around Gen. Muhoozi to appreciate his military service and the service of his army comrades to the Republic of Uganda”.