Bugweri — President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) presidential flag bearer, on Saturday held a massive rally at Kyabazinga Grounds in Bugweri District, marking his second stop in the Busoga sub-region as the party accelerates its campaigns ahead of the 2026 general elections.
Accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Kataaha Museveni, the President revisited his early years of resistance against Idi Amin, describing the struggle for peace as the NRM’s foremost achievement.
“I was here in 1973, fighting Idi Amin with Engineer Kasadha. We went to Mayuge and later to Jinja,” he recalled, saluting Busoga families who aided the liberation efforts.
He honoured several victims from the region, including Hajji Balunywa, Shaban Nkuutu, Nkooto, and Ntale, while noting others who survived exile. “For 40 years, Uganda has enjoyed peace—that is our biggest contribution,” he said.
Infrastructure and Social Services:
President Museveni acknowledged service gaps in Bugweri, especially in road maintenance equipment, promising to address them using machinery recently acquired from Japan.
He highlighted ongoing road projects, including the Nawangisa–Buseesa–Nakivumbi–Ndongwe–Iganga route, and pledged to follow up on additional road requests submitted by district leaders. They also appealed for the tarmacking of Nawangisa–Nakivumbi with a spur to Iganga and Mayuge.
On water access, the President said Bugweri now has 84% safe water coverage, with 124 out of 147 villages served. He also noted steady progress under the national electricity rollout plan, with more sub-counties receiving power.
Bugweri’s education sector remains uneven, Museveni observed, pointing out that 11 out of the 37 parishes lack a government primary school—contrary to national policy requirements. He insisted that every parish must host a government primary school, and every sub-county must have a government secondary school. Two Seed Secondary Schools are under construction to close the gap.
Crackdown on School Fees & Youth Skilling Success Stories
The President condemned school administrators and foundation bodies that charge illegal fees in Universal Primary Education and Universal Secondary Education schools.
“That’s why I started skilling hubs where I give free education to my children,” he said.
The Bugweri youth currently attend the Presidential Skilling Hub in Jinja, offering training in carpentry, tailoring, welding, baking, construction, plumbing, automotive mechanics, and weaving. So far, 961 youth from Busoga have completed training.
Two graduates shared testimonies: Namukwaya Salima, a tailoring graduate, said her training saved her from life on the streets, and Subiri Saleh, trained in baking, now earns approximately Shs 600,000 monthly.
Museveni hailed these cases as proof that skills training can replace overdependence on imported goods.
Health Sector: Upgrades Underway
Bugweri currently has one HCIV, six HCIIIs, and ten HCIIs. Museveni announced plans to upgrade Busesa HCIV into a general hospital, upgrade Idudi HCII and Nsale HCII to HCIII facilities, and complete expansions of maternity wards and medical waste incinerators across the district.
Poverty Reduction and the 4-Acre Model
Museveni urged locals not to rely solely on roads and physical infrastructure to escape poverty, noting that even long-established tarmac roads haven’t eliminated poverty in some communities.
He emphasised the NRM’s 4-acre model—coffee, fruits, dairy, food crops, plus backyard livestock and fish farming—as the path to family-level wealth creation. He cited success stories from Abim, Lira, and the Sino–Mbale Industrial Park, which currently hosts 75 factories employing 12,000 people.
“Those who tell you to wait for government jobs are enemies of Uganda,” he said.
“Protect Peace, Vote NRM”
The First Lady urged residents to safeguard Uganda’s peace and development by voting for President Museveni and the NRM lineup in 2026.
“You need to go in person and vote for your own—so that NRM continues protecting this peace and the freedom to work hard,” she said.
Regional and Party Leaders Present Demands, Rally Support
Several top NRM officials joined the Bugweri rally, including: Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, First Deputy Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Rukia Nakadama, Third Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Milly Babalanda, Minister for the Presidency and Dr Specioza Wandira Kazibwe, former Vice President.
Kadaga presented Bugweri’s key demands, including a second constituency, better roads such as Nondwe–Busembatya, and increased PDM financing due to high parish populations.
Bugweri has so far received Shs 11.1 billion under the Parish Development Model, benefiting 11,387 households out of 46,584—meaning 75.6% of households are yet to benefit.
District NRM chairperson Alhajji Shaban Sadiki Nkutu thanked the President for creating Bugweri District and reaffirmed local demands, including an industrial park and the tarmacking of the Nawangisa–Nakivumbi road.
Bugweri, with 211,511 residents and 96,437 registered voters ahead of 2026, has historically been a competitive territory. In the 2021 elections, NUP won the district with 57.6% of the presidential vote, compared to NRM’s 38.7%.
Saturday’s rally drew thousands and featured a lineup of senior NRM mobilisers, reflecting the party’s determination to reclaim Bugweri in the 2026 polls.