Published on 16/11/2025
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Saturday drew a mammoth crowd in Busia District, with supporters filling the grounds of Buwanda Primary School to the brim and spilling far beyond the school perimeter as he delivered his campaign message.
The rally, one of the largest in the Bukedi Sub-Region, underscored the district’s strong interest in the NRM’s vision and the 2026 electoral agenda.
Taking to the podium amid thunderous cheers, President Museveni emphasized that Uganda’s progress over the years was anchored on the peace and national unity restored by the NRM.
He said the party’s rejection of tribalism and sectarianism had enabled the creation of a government system that serves the whole country.
“It is because of our politics, which does not believe in tribes or religious sectarianism, that we were able to unite Uganda and build a party that brings everybody together,” the President said.
Museveni went on to detail how this unity allowed the establishment of strong national institutions—the army, police, prisons, the judiciary, and a functioning civil service—that have safeguarded peace for decades.
“That is how we have been able to bring peace across the country,” he told the crowd, many of whom had arrived hours earlier to secure space near the stage.
He highlighted Busia’s progress in social services, including the NRM’s plan to maintain one government primary school per parish and a government secondary school in every sub-county.
He noted that Busia has one hospital, a Health Centre IV, and fourteen Health Centre IIIs, and stressed ongoing upgrades of several facilities such as Namungodi, Tiira, and Lumino Health Centre IIs, along with the planned construction of a new Health Centre III in Masafu.
Turning to economic infrastructure, Museveni listed major improvements that have benefited the district: upgraded roads from Jinja through Bugiri to the border, the Musita–Namayingo–Majanji road, and ongoing works toward Tororo.
He also mentioned the repaired railway, widened access to electricity across all sub-county headquarters, expanded access to water, and improved telecommunication coverage. “You all have telephones in your pockets,” he remarked, highlighting progress in connectivity.
The President urged residents to appreciate that Uganda is now in a production phase, with surpluses in milk, sugar, cement, and bananas. He stressed the importance of cross-border trade and the East African Community market, especially for Busia, which lies along a major regional commerce corridor.
“We produce 5.3 billion litres of milk but drink only 800 million. The surplus needs a market. Politics is about the future—and that is why government must guide the country’s direction,” he said.
Following the President’s address, NRM National Treasurer Ambassador Barbara Nekesa, while speaking to journalists anchored her message on wealth creation, reinforcing the President’s call for Ugandans to transition from dependence to income generation.
She told said wealth creation is now the NRM’s central pillar after securing peace and building socio-economic infrastructure.
“We had questions about what to focus on in mobilization,” she said. “But the President has now given us clear direction. Our role as grassroots leaders is to take this message to the villages—why our people should continue supporting the NRM and how they can use government initiatives to improve household income.”
Nekesa praised Busia’s transformation under the NRM, citing improved tarmac road networks, the Majanji Water Project, the newly constructed modern market, and upgraded health facilities in Ibusime and other areas.
She said such infrastructure provides the foundation for wealth-creation programmes to succeed, especially in a border district strategically positioned for trade.
She noted that the massive crowd at the rally—spilling over fences, lining the surrounding roads, and filling every visible space—was proof that Busia understands the NRM’s message and the direction the President has set for the country.
“If we take this message seriously and communicate it clearly,” she said, “the turnout we have seen today will be reflected in the votes we deliver on 15 January 2026.”
Nekesa pledged continued mobilization for both the President and all NRM flag bearers, predicting that the Bukedi Sub-Region would deliver an average of 80 percent and above for the party. “We are not stopping here—this is only the beginning,” she said. This was Museveni’s final rally in Bukedi before proceeding to Busoga sub-region.
