Published on 27/11/2025
Thousands of enthusiastic supporters on Thursday thronged Kyamate Primary School grounds as NRM Presidential Candidate Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and First Lady Maama Janet Museveni returned to Ntungamo, drawing one of the largest crowds of the campaign trail so far.
Museveni, who described Ntungamo as a place he “passed through twice with a gun” during the liberation struggles of 1979 and 1985, told supporters that his return in peace symbolized how far the country had come.
Related Article
Isingiro Welcomes President Museveni As He Rolls Out Economic Transformation Agenda For Ankole – National News Express
“Today I told the people of Isingiro that thrice I passed through Isingiro fighting. Here in Ntungamo, I passed twice with a gun. But now we have come in peace, and I must thank God for that,” he said. “God has used NRM to bring peace to Uganda.”
Infrastructure, irrigation and household wealth
Museveni highlighted peace, infrastructure development and prosperity as the NRM’s key contributions to Uganda’s transformation. He assured residents that the road to Rukungiri, now riddled with potholes, would be renovated.
Turning to agriculture, the President said the biggest challenge facing Ntungamo is the lack of irrigation, which limits farmers’ productivity.
“Irrigation has enabled me to set up a very successful farm in Bushenyi under the Presidential Banana Initiative,” he said. “We harvest ten times more because of irrigation and fertilizers. Relying on God alone for rainfall is not a religious practice—we must embrace irrigation.”
He promised government-supported irrigation schemes, saying better yields would strengthen household incomes. Museveni emphasized that personal wealth remains a key pillar of transformation.
“Poverty is yours as an individual just like wealth is yours,” he said, urging residents to take advantage of available government programs.
The President also addressed concerns about access to Parish Development Model (PDM) funds. He criticized local officials who demand land titles before releasing money to beneficiaries.
“This is totally wrong,” he said. “PDM rules do not indicate that you must have land or any form of security to access these funds. As long as you have a viable project, you should be able to receive support.”
He further warned against corruption in district job recruitment, urging the public to report any officials who solicit bribes from jobseekers.
Museveni also recalled the difficult past, noting that there were only a handful of dispensaries between Mbarara and Kabale, unlike the expanded network of health centres today.
“For those with land, we encourage commercial farming. For those with smaller pieces, we advise the four-acre model—coffee, poultry, animal feeds, piggery, fish farming, and zero grazing,” he said.
Janet Museveni gives district overview
Earlier, Maama Janet Museveni delivered a detailed overview of Ntungamo’s progress since becoming a district in 1993. She noted that the district now hosts five constituencies, 34 sub-counties, 135 parishes and 1,033 villages across the counties of Kajara, Rushenyi and Ruhaama.
She reported that the population has risen by 45.5% over the last 25 years—from 380,000 in 2000 to 553,000 today—driven by peace, improved health care, nutrition and quality of life. Ntungamo, she added, remains one of Uganda’s largest districts because leaders followed presidential guidance not to split it.
Over five years, the district has received UGX 53 billion through government programs including PDM, Emyooga and youth, women and disability support initiatives. PDM alone contributed UGX 39.7 billion to more than 2,600 enterprise groups.
She highlighted 242 public primary schools, 22 public secondary schools, three vocational institutions and nearly UGX 2 billion invested in school infrastructure. She also pointed to 57 roads maintained and 178 safe water sources established since 2021.
Areas needing improvement
- Janet Museveni outlined several priorities for the next term:
- Mobilizing youth and women to engage in government programs
- Establishing new health facilities in underserved parishes
- Eliminating extra charges in UPE and USE schools
- Constructing a public secondary school in Nyabihoko Town Council
- Increasing funding for roads and road units
- Protecting Lake Nyabihoko wetlands and harnessing River Rwizi
- Expanding water for production for PDM enterprises
Addressing acaricide-resistant ticks
Supporting agro-value addition and markets
Call for massive voter turnout
In her conclusion, Maama Janet thanked the people of Ntungamo for their overwhelming turnout, calling it the beginning of a long journey towards the January 15, 2026 election.
She appealed to households to mobilize all eligible voters.
“For those who think the President has already won, please do not stay at home,” she said. “Victory—especially a historic one—requires everyone to vote.”
