“No Sleeping in the Fight Against Poverty, Use Pulpits to Preach Wealth Creation,” Minister Babalanda Tells Pastors

What the report says

BUYENDE, Uganda — Minister for the Presidency Babirye Milly Babalanda called on Seventh-day Adventist pastors in Buyende District to use church platforms to encourage communities to join government wealth-creation efforts as part of the fight against household poverty. Watchdog Uganda reported that she made the appeal at the closing ceremony of a nine-day SDA camp retreat at Nkondo SDA Church Zone, where hundreds of believers from across the district had gathered for prayer, Bible study and fellowship.

According to the report, Babalanda said faith and work should go together if Uganda is to move toward middle-income status and reduce poverty. She pointed to government programmes including the Parish Development Model, Emyooga, Youth Livelihood Programme, Operation Wealth Creation and GROW, saying they are intended to support household income, jobs and broader development. She also urged church members to adopt the President’s 4-Acre Model for rural households, combining cash crops, fruit trees, food crops and pasture, and to pursue backyard projects such as vegetable growing and poultry where appropriate.

The minister, who also represents Budiope West Constituency, told the congregation there should be no complacency in the anti-poverty drive and framed hard work and anti-corruption as priorities for the current term. She also conveyed greetings from President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and senior government officials, and thanked the SDA leadership for its role in the event.

Watchdog Uganda said Babalanda contributed Shs 1.2 million toward church construction. The remarks highlight the government’s continued use of religious gatherings to promote economic policy messaging, especially in rural areas where poverty reduction programmes remain a major focus.