Fuel Prices Through the Roof: What Government Is Doing About Uganda’s Cost of Living Crisis

Fuel prices are soaring, the cost of living is biting hard, and the Ugandan shilling has weakened to around 4,200 against the dollar. In this interview, the Minister of Information breaks down the causes and what the NRM government under President Museveni is doing about it. Key points discussed: External causes: Wars in the Middle East and Russia, longer fuel supply routes (Australia & China), and the strong US dollar driven by higher American interest rates Immediate actions: Removing middlemen on fuel imports (saving $35–36 per metric ton), pulling unused World Bank refugee funds into the economy, cutting foreign travels, and delaying non-urgent contracts Medium & long-term measures: Boosting local manufacturing, PDM, UDB funding, cottage industries, irrigation, gold reserves (bullion), and plans for the oil refinery Response to critics on the Sovereignty Law and NGO account freezes Anti-corruption drive (“Sanja Hakuna Kulala” / Balam operations) and challenges of low absorption of loans A detailed government perspective on the current economic pressures and the steps being taken to stabilize fuel prices, the dollar, and the wider economy. Video Chapters 00:00 – Cost of living & fuel prices biting hard 01:10 – Causes: Middle East war, Russia, and longer supply routes 02:20 – Why the dollar is strong (US interest rates) 03:30 – Government’s long-term plan: local production & value addition 05:00 – Removing middlemen on fuel & savings made 06:30 – Bank of Uganda intervention & gold reserves 07:40 – Pulling unused World Bank funds into the economy 08:30 – Cutting travels & delaying contracts 09:50 – Can fuel prices come down? Subsidies & local solutions 11:20 – Sovereignty Law & NGO freezes – how big is the impact? 13:00 – Do current austerity measures match the crisis? 15:30 – Behind-the-scenes efforts to stabilize the economy 17:20 – Is the budget bloated? Corruption vs spending 19:00 – “Sanja Hakuna Kulala” & the Balam anti-corruption approach 22:30 – Are government systems failing? 25:00 – Public participation in the fight against corruption 28:00 – Final take on the first five months of the new term Tags Uganda fuel prices, cost of living Uganda, Ugandan shilling, dollar vs shilling, Museveni government, NRM government, Bank of Uganda, fuel crisis Uganda, economic crisis Uganda, austerity measures Uganda, anti-corruption Uganda, Balam, Sanja Hakuna Kulala, PDM Uganda, UDB, oil refinery Uganda, Middle East war fuel, strong dollar, Sovereignty Law Uganda, NGO freezes Uganda, Minister of Information Uganda, Uganda economy 2026