Kotido — President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Museveni, held a campaign rally at Lomukura Primary School in Kotido Central Division, reaffirming his government’s commitment to consolidating peace and driving socio-economic transformation in the Karamoja sub-region.
President Museveni began by commending the people of Karamoja for embracing peace and supporting government efforts to disarm the region.
“Our first point in the NRM Manifesto is peace. When we stopped guns, there was a woman in Nakapiripirit I will never forget — she had been married to nine men, and all of them died because of the gun,” the President recalled.
He thanked the Karamojong who played a vital role in the disarmament process, singling out individuals like Natuk Judith for persuading the karachunas (youth warriors) to voluntarily surrender their firearms.
“Now you can see peace — not only in Karamoja but across Uganda. What caused conflict was greed, when someone thought only of himself. The NRM rejected that kind of politics,” he said.
The President noted that by rejecting sectarian politics based on tribe and religion, the NRM built a strong and united political movement that consistently wins elections in the first round and has established stable state institutions such as the Army and Police.
Turning to infrastructure development, President Museveni highlighted the government’s success in extending electricity from Soroti through Kotido to Karenga, which has improved connectivity and communication in the region.
“Your problem with telephones is now solved. The next issue to tackle is roads — like the tarmac from Lira to Kitgum up to Sudan. We are also going to work on the Moroto–Kotido road,” he said.
He emphasised that infrastructure development must take priority before salary increments. “When we tell our teachers to hold on as we construct roads, they say, ‘No, pay us now.’ But development benefits everyone — wealth is yours alone, but development is for all,” he stressed.
The President also revealed plans to transform Karamoja into an industrial hub, citing ongoing and proposed private investments such as cement factories, which have been attracted by peace and stability in the region.
On access to water, President Museveni acknowledged that only 125 out of 491 villages in Kotido currently have access to safe water, but assured residents that the government is addressing the gap.
“We have already constructed three piped water systems and several valley dams to support both people and livestock,” he noted. “These include the Sinat Valley Dam with a capacity of 4.4 billion litres, Kaoyagorok Dam with 1.7 billion litres, and the Kailong Earth Dam with 167 million litres. We have also completed 22 valley tanks and solar-powered irrigation systems.”
He added that more projects — including high-yield boreholes and small-scale irrigation schemes — are under construction.
On education, the President reaffirmed his commitment to free education in government schools, saying he has been tackling challenges posed by school administrators who continue to charge fees.
“I decided to establish skilling hubs in each zone to show that free education is possible,” he said. “These hubs train students for six months at no cost and are already producing items that we used to import from China.”
In the health sector, President Museveni announced that Kotido District’s 15 sub-counties currently have one referral hospital and seven Health Centre IIIs, and that several health facilities are being upgraded.
“We are upgrading Kacheri Health Centre III to IV, and converting others, such as Lokiding, Losakucha, Lopuyo, and Nakwakwa, from Health Centre IIs to IIIs. New Health Centre IIIs will also be constructed in the West and North Divisions,” he revealed.
In her remarks, Maama Janet Museveni expressed gratitude to the people of Karamoja for their overwhelming support. “I am so happy to be in Karamoja. Coming here is like coming home,” she said, calling on residents to embrace transformation in the next Kisanja (term). “The message of transformation is very important for Karamoja so that there will be tremendous development across the sub-region.”
Dr Lokii John Baptist, the NRM Vice Chairperson for Karamoja, thanked the President for restoring peace and democracy in the region, and praised the UPDF for removing illegal guns. He pledged 100 percent support for President Museveni in the upcoming elections.
Dr Lochap Paul, NRM Chairperson for Kotido District, also commended the President for upgrading central roads to tarmac, saying this has spurred local growth. He appealed for the creation of Kapeta District to bring services closer to the people and requested pardon for karachunas involved in past disarmament incidents.
He further appreciated the establishment of the Napak Skilling Hub, which is providing free vocational training to youth from across the Karamoja sub-region.