Museveni Pledges 100% Water Coverage and Road Expansion in Kyankwanzi

Kyankwanzi — President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, addressed a massive rally in Kyankwanzi District, where he unveiled the National Resistance Movement (NRM) manifesto for 2026–2031, built around peace, infrastructure development, wealth creation, and job generation.

Despite heavy rainfall, thousands of supporters thronged Butemba College School Playground, a turnout the President praised as a reflection of loyalty, resilience, and the revolutionary spirit long associated with the Greater Luwero sub-region.

“I want to thank you for showing the world that you are children and grandchildren of freedom fighters — when we decide to do something, we do it wholeheartedly and with love,” President Museveni said.

He added that he had been briefed on the crowd’s determination to stay despite the downpour.

“I was told that when it rained heavily, you remained. And indeed, I found you here. Thank you so much,” he said, drawing cheers from supporters waving NRM flags and umbrellas.

Peace as the Foundation

Presenting the manifesto, President Museveni highlighted what he described as the NRM’s seven historic contributions, beginning with the restoration of peace.

“We, the people of Greater Luwero, know what it means to lack peace,” he said, recalling conflicts in 1971, 1979, and 1986. “Today, many children have grown up without seeing war or instability.”

He credited the stability since 1986 for enabling the building of national institutions such as the UPDF, police, prisons, and the judiciary, emphasizing merit over sectarian considerations.

“These institutions were built because the NRM does not look at tribe or religion, but at what you can do as a person,” he said.

Infrastructure: Roads, Water, and Power

President Museveni identified infrastructure as the NRM’s second major contribution, citing expanded road networks in Kyankwanzi and the wider Buganda region. “When the NRM came, the tarmac road stopped at Busunju,” he recalled. “We extended it to Kiboga, Kafu, and Hoima. From Mityana, we pushed it to Mubende, Fort Portal, and Bundibugyo.”

On water access, he noted that 420 out of 486 villages in Kyankwanzi now have safe water, representing 86 percent coverage, but stressed the need to scale up irrigation. “This is good progress, but now we must go beyond domestic water. We need water for irrigation to increase production,” he said.

He warned against wetland encroachment while assuring residents that government irrigation plans would prioritise swamp-rich areas.

On electricity, President Museveni reaffirmed the phased expansion of power from district headquarters to villages.

Health Sector Commitments

Acknowledging gaps in health services, President Museveni noted that only one of Kyankwanzi’s 21 sub-counties has a Health Centre IV, with nine lacking facilities at HCIII level or above.

To address this, he announced upgrades of several HCII facilities to HCIII and the construction of new HCIIIs in Masodde Kalagi Town Council, Nkandwa, Kilyanongo, and Kigando.

Wealth Creation Over Consumption

The President urged residents to distinguish between development and wealth creation. “Development benefits all of us, but wealth creation is personal. It is at the household and individual level,” he said.

Quoting a Lusoga proverb, Akange kakira akaife (“What is mine is better than what is ours”), he encouraged families to engage in income-generating activities beyond subsistence.

He showcased success stories under the four-acre model, including livestock farmer George Matongo of Nakaseke, who earns about Shs29 million per month, and Korea Dick Ogira from Abim, who earned Shs12 million in his first year from mango farming under Operation Wealth Creation and the Parish Development Model (PDM). “That man is in Abim, where there is no tarmac road. Development is not there, but wealth is there,” President Museveni said.

Job Creation Through Production

On employment, the President dismissed the idea that government jobs could absorb Uganda’s growing population. “There are only about 480,000 government jobs, yet we are 50 million Ugandans,” he said.

He pointed to commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services, and ICT as key job creators, citing industrial parks such as Namanve and Sino-Mbale, which collectively employ tens of thousands.

Local Leaders’ Appeals

NRM Second National Vice Chairperson and Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Annet Anita Among, commended residents for braving the rain and raised concerns over land issues, absentee landlords, and settlements on National Forestry Authority (NFA) land. “As the father of these people, we ask you to relocate them or gazette that land for settlement,” she said.

NRM Vice Chairperson for Central Region, Hon. Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo, said the party had intensified grassroots mobilisation. “The Buganda of 2021 and the Buganda of 2026 are different. The youth have decided to rally behind you,” he said.

Kyankwanzi District NRM Chairperson Ms Wekembe Mary thanked the President for granting district status and expanding government programmes, while appealing for a technical institute and the upgrade of Ntwetwe Health Centre IV to a district hospital.

The rally was attended by ministers, MPs, NRM secretariat officials, party flag bearers, veterans, and thousands of supporters, marking a key milestone in the NRM’s 2026 campaign.