ANT’s Muntu banks on agriculture to deliver sh25m per household annually

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Maj. Gen. (rtd) Mugisha Muntu, the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) presidential candidate, has vowed to lift households in Butaleja district out of poverty, promising more than sh25m in annual income per home through an agriculture-driven transformation programme.

Addressing supporters at Busolwe town council in Butaleja district, Muntu criticised the financial burden imposed by money lenders and the limitations of the Parish Development Model funds, saying the Agricultural Credit Facility offered a more viable solution.

Maj. Gen. (rtd) Mugisha Muntu, the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) presidential candidate. (Credit: Isaac Nuwagaba)

Muntu addressing supporters at Busolwe town council in Butaleja district. (Credit: Isaac Nuwagaba)

“The ANT’s lower-end basic target for every homestead’s annual income shall be a minimum of sh25m for the lowest income earners,” Muntu said.

He added that this target would be implemented if elected, through the revival of the cooperative model and increased investment in agriculture with a 15% budget allocation, which he argued has long been underfunded.

The 2023/24 Uganda National Household Survey by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics showed that the national poverty rate dropped from 20.3% to 16.1% between 2019/20 and 2023/24, meaning about seven million people lived below the absolute poverty line.

Residents in Busolwe town council in Butaleja district listening to Muntu at his campaign rally. (Credit: Isaac Nuwagaba)

(Credit: Isaac Nuwagaba)

(Credit: Isaac Nuwagaba)

Muntu questioned the criteria used to determine that figure.

“The problem with this is that what they considered to be the poverty line was $1 per day (slightly more than sh3,500), which was the level of the early 1990s. Secondly, in June 2025, the International Poverty Line, which measures extreme poverty globally, was raised to $3.00 a day (slightly more than sh10,000), based on the 2021 Purchasing Power Parity prices,” he observed.

He argued that living conditions in Uganda do not reflect the 16.1% estimate.

“According to the most recent data, approximately 59.8% of Ugandans live below the $3.00 per day (slightly more than sh10,000) poverty line (based on 2021 PPP). That means around 40.2% of the population earns at least $3 per day,” he observed.

With Uganda’s population estimated at 48 million in 2024, Muntu said this translates to roughly 19.3 million people earning at least $3 per day. He maintained that Uganda’s true poverty level is closer to 40% rather than 16.1%, based on World Bank headcount data and population projections.

How Muntu calculated the expenditure

“If each person on a homestead of 7 people (5 children and their parents) requires sh10,000 per day, the family must raise close to sh70,000 per day or sh2,100,000 per month, excluding income taxes. The corresponding annual income is sh25,200,000, which we want every Ugandan household to work and earn,” he promised.

According to Muntu, households could generate this income through one or a combination of agricultural, industrial, mining or service activities, supplemented by income support and transfer programmes from the government and development partners.

“Now you know why this shall be the ANT’s lower-end minimum target for every homestead’s annual income, especially the lowest income earners. We shall give keen attention to this in the first 2-3 years,” he insisted.

He pointed to Mbale’s hills, which produce coffee, maize, bananas and other crops, yet offer low returns due to harsh lending terms, with money lenders reportedly charging 30% to 50% interest and seizing land from defaulting borrowers.

Mbale campaigns suspended after vehicle breakdowns

After addressing only one rally, Muntu was unable to reach several scheduled areas, including Butaleja town council and Nabiganda town council in Butaleja district.

The former UPDF army commander also missed engagements with supporters waiting for him at Nabumali town council and Busano subcounty in Mbale district due to vehicle breakdowns.