The wait is over. Today, Ugandans will listen to President Museveni attentively as he sits on the revered chair to lecture them once again on the State-of-the-Nation.

The country is currently battling the spiraling commodity prices, which the President attributed to both external and internal factors.

In his recent address to the nation, Mr Museveni dismissed the idea of tax waivers and subsidies to businesses, arguing that it is not sustainable, leads to loss of revenue and that even if such incentives are offered, it will only benefit the already rich, who may not reduce prices. To James Mr Ochama, a resident at Kisasi slum on the northern bypass, said the current situation presents a stark reality.

Mr Ochama, a casual labourer at Tirupati Industrial Park at Kyebando, says the current economic situation has forced many people to the brink of starvation.

“I don’t know whether my family will be alive by the end of this year. What we used to buy for Shs1,000 now goes for more than Shs5,000 and I am afraid we may not survive. The President should really offer a solution,” he says.

Mr Brian Agaba, a boda boda rider in Makerere, Kikoni, told Daily Monitor that he expects the President to address the issue of high fuel prices.

“The President should find a solution to the high fuel prices because as boda boda riders, it is our source of income. We use the money we get from it to pay school fees for our children and feed our family members,” Mr Agaba said.

Mr Frank Muwulya, a shop attendant in Bwaise, a Kampala suburb, says they are struggling with high taxes on goods. He expects the President to tackle the issue.

“The taxes are too high, for example cooking oil, they now tax every packet and not a single box of cooking oil,” Mr Muwulya said.