President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Friday called on residents of Kiruhura and Kazo to abandon free range grazing and embrace intensive dairy farming, saying the cattle corridor can become Uganda’s biggest hub for milk-based wealth creation if farmers adopt modern production systems.
Addressing a large crowd at Nyakasharara playground, Museveni praised the region for gradually transitioning from nomadic herding to commercial dairy production. He insisted, however, that farmers must now scale up. “The people of Kiruhura and Kazo, and the entire cattle corridor, thank you for heeding our advice on working and grazing cows for wealth creation. But do not stop,” he said.
Museveni argued that free-range grazing wastes land and limits output. He noted that a square mile under free-range can support only about 130 cows, while zero grazing allows farmers to keep thousands on the same land. He stressed that true prosperity comes from productivity, not land size or herd numbers.
To demonstrate the value of intensive farming, Museveni highlighted farmers who turned small plots into profitable enterprises. He cited Joseph Ijala, a former taxi driver who runs an integrated farm on 2.5 acres. Ijala keeps 10,000 layer chickens producing 310 trays of eggs daily and earns more than Shs 3 million per day. He also keeps eight zero-grazing cows on 1.5 acres and makes about Shs 6.8 million per month from eggs and milk. “Ijala keeps eight cows on one acre. If that were a square mile, he would keep over 4,000 cows,” the President said.
He also pointed to Richard Nyakaana of Kabarole, who operates Kana Farm on 1.2 acres, producing 120 litres of milk per day from six cows and earning Shs 110,000 daily. He told residents that these examples prove that small-scale intensive farming can deliver strong profits.
Museveni further cited George Matongo of Ngoma, Nakaseke, who reportedly produces over 900 litres of milk daily despite living far from electricity or tarmac roads. “Matongo is extremely prosperous, yet he lives far from a tarmac road or electricity,” he said, adding that infrastructure alone cannot guarantee household income.
The President reminded supporters that wealth creation has been central to the NRM since the 1980s. He reiterated the four-acre model introduced in the 1996 manifesto as a practical path to household income, with allocations for coffee, fruits, food crops and zero grazing.
Museveni said Kiruhura’s strong private school sector reflects rising household incomes. The district has 74 government primary schools and 165 private ones, alongside 7 government and 11 private secondary schools. He also said government plans to construct a new Health Centre III in Akayanja Sub-County, the only area without a facility.
He pledged to continue improving road connectivity in the greater Ankole region and urged farmers to invest in planting grass and establishing zero-grazing units. “Learn to plant grass for zero grazing and avoid free-range grazing. You have the land; use it,” he said.
The event attracted NRM leaders, ministers, Members of Parliament and party flagbearers.
