President Museveni Pledges UGX 125 Billion to Capitalise U.M.A SACCO

Kampala, Uganda | 10 October 2026

In a landmark development for the medical fraternity, H.E. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has pledged to support the capitalisation of the Uganda Medical Association Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisation (U.M.A SACCO) with UGX 125 billion, aimed at strengthening the socioeconomic welfare and financial independence of medical doctors and other healthcare professionals.

The commitment was made during a high-level engagement held at State House Entebbe on 9 October 2026, attended by leaders of the Uganda Medical Association (U.M.A), U.M.A SACCO, the Federation for Uganda Medical Interns (FUMI), and the Federation of Uganda Medical Students' Associations (FUMSA).

The U.M.A delegation, led by its President, Dr. Frank R. Asiimwe, presented a comprehensive socioeconomic empowerment proposal aimed at addressing longstanding financial barriers affecting medical professionals.

A Transformative Investment in the Medical Profession

The proposed UGX 125 billion capitalisation will strengthen U.M.A SACCO's capacity to provide affordable financing for:

- Specialist and postgraduate medical training: Affordable education loans to support doctors pursuing specialised and advanced professional qualifications.
- Healthcare entrepreneurship: Financing for doctors to establish private practices, clinics, diagnostic centres and other healthcare enterprises.
- Regional medical hubs: Investment in healthcare facilities that expand access to quality services while creating employment and mentorship opportunities.
- Housing and asset financing: Affordable credit facilities to support home ownership, vehicle acquisition and other productive investments.

- Professional and economic empowerment: Long-term financial products tailored to the needs of medical professionals.

President Museveni welcomed the proposal, describing the proposed capitalisation as a sustainable, one-time investment rather than a recurrent government expenditure.

Building on a Proven Track Record

During the engagement, Dr. Paul Kibenge the  U.M.A SACCO Chairperson highlighted financial growth, noting that the UGX 1 billion previously extended by President Museveni in 2017 had contributed to the development of the SACCO whose assets have since grown to over UGX 13 billion.

This growth demonstrates the potential of professionally managed financial institutions to mobilise resources, expand access to affordable credit and improve the economic welfare of healthcare workers.

Advancing Healthcare Through Economic Empowerment

The proposed investment is expected to support Uganda's broader healthcare development agenda by enabling doctors to invest in healthcare infrastructure, pursue advanced training and create employment and mentorship opportunities especially for the Junior medical doctors.

U.M.A believes that improving doctors' financial security is essential to strengthening professional motivation, retention, productivity and the quality of healthcare services.

The Association welcomes the President's commitment and looks forward to working with the relevant government institutions to operationalise the proposed capitalisation, including the necessary financing, governance and accountability arrangements as soon as possible.

U.M.A remains committed to advancing the professional welfare, financial sustainability and socioeconomic empowerment of medical doctors in Uganda.

Service with Honour.

©️Uganda Medical Association (U.M.A) National Executive Commitee