MBALE, Uganda – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Sunday urged National Resistance Movement (NRM) leaders in the Bugisu sub-region to reject what he called opposition lies and to champion the government’s priorities of wealth creation and industrialization.
Addressing 17,725 NRM leaders at the Mbale Secondary School grounds, Museveni, who is also the NRM national chairman, accused opposition politicians of spreading misinformation and prioritizing issues like salaries over strategic, long-term investments.
“NRM has no problem. Our analysis is correct, and our strategy is correct,” Museveni said, referencing the party’s history. “That’s why we were able to defeat all these groups, even in the war, even when we started with 27 people.”
He listed power generation, industrial parks and strategic road projects as critical investments that stimulate growth. While acknowledging local concerns about roads like the Mbale–Namagumba–Bududa–Nalugugu route, he said national development plans must account for broader interests.
Museveni singled out former members of parliament who are now presidential candidates, asserting they had prioritized their own salaries and allowances over national development.
“But what I don’t like are people who make mistakes but later go and tell lies,” he said, specifically naming Nathan Nandala Mafabi. “Like when my son Nandala Mafabi goes to Namisindwa and says the road is bad. Yes, but you are the one who delayed it.”
He extended the criticism to other opposition figures, including Mugisha Muntu, Robert Kyagulanyi and Mubarak Munyagwa, saying they “have no right to speak about anything, because they had a chance in parliament to think but never did.”
Uganda’s Growth: “One of the fastest in the world”
President Museveni praised Uganda’s economic progress, citing a growth rate of 7%, with projections of surpassing 10% once oil production comes on board.
He pointed to industrial output, hotel investments, and the expansion of the manufacturing sector as tangible evidence of Uganda’s transformation.
President Museveni reinforced his point by highlighting Uganda’s rapidly expanding industrial landscape, pointing to major industrial parks and their growing employment capacity.
He cited the Sino-Mbale Industrial Park, which now hosts 75 factories employing 12,000 people, as a prime example of the region’s rising manufacturing potential.
President Museveni also noted that the Namanve Industrial Park has grown into a national industrial hub with 273 factories employing 44,000 workers, and the fully established Kapeeka Industrial Zone, as well as expanding manufacturing clusters in Mukono, Matugga, which together signal Uganda’s strengthening industrial capabilities.
Matugga, he said, now houses one of the largest pharmaceutical plants in the world, while Kiira Motors in Jinja is assembling vehicles, marking Uganda’s strategic entry into the automotive manufacturing sector.
“When I met the Japanese, I told them we’re buying a lot of vehicles from you. Come and assemble them in Uganda. They refused, but when I started making my own vehicles, they came running. I said sorry, it’s too late.”
President Museveni showcased the Karuma Hydropower Dam, which generates 640 megawatts, surpassing the old Jinja dam that once produced 150 megawatts but later declined to 60 megawatts due to outdated equipment.
He reminded the audience that industrialization and value addition would be impossible without such large-scale energy investments.
“Without that power, we would not have these factories here. The factories you see are coming because electricity is available.”
He also celebrated the economic success of Kalangala’s palm oil project, which has enabled Uganda to reduce dependence on imported soap-making oil from Malaysia.
“I recall during the 1996 election, there was some pressure from Mbale, Kabale, and even Kasese, where people complained that URA was overly strict with smugglers from Kenya and the Congo. But this is because everything here was coming from outside. Now everything is coming from here,” President Museveni said.
He accused certain local actors and organizations of working against Uganda’s development agenda. He warned leaders to be cautious of individuals who, according to him, seek to undermine Uganda’s progress either for foreign interests or for personal gain.
Value Addition: “Stop Exporting Raw Materials”
President Museveni reiterated point number five of the NRM’s Ten-Point Programme -value addition, arguing that Uganda loses billions by exporting raw coffee instead of processing it locally.
He highlighted global statistics to illustrate how much value Uganda is currently missing out in the coffee sector.
“The coffee, which you depend quite a bit on, they don’t give us enough money from it because the global value of coffee is USD 460 billion, but Africa gets only USD 2.5 billion. Why? Because we sell unprocessed coffee,” President Museveni noted, adding that in Uganda, farmers currently earn between USD 4.2 and USD 4.5 per kilogram of robusta coffee, but this could rise to USD 8–9 per kilogram if the coffee was processed locally.
Furthermore, exported processed robusta could fetch between USD 22 and USD 25 per kilogram, while processed Arabica could bring in as much as USD 30–40 per kilogram.
He told Bugisu coffee farmers that full cooperation with the government would help transform their incomes and the national economy.
“But once you all listen to our message, Uganda is so rich that we would be helping other countries, not the other way around,” he said.
Discussing corruption, President Museveni explained that he introduced the Local Council (LC) system to counteract corruption inherited from colonial-era administrative structures. He insisted that LCs must remain vigilant and supervise civil servants whose misconduct undermines service delivery.
“Those chiefs were corrupt. I said; let’s get our leaders, the local council leaders, elected by us, the money they’re stealing is your money,” he said.
The Speaker of Parliament and NRM’s Second National Vice Chairperson, Rt. Hon. Annet Anita Among praised President Museveni for empowering local governance systems through the LC structure. She described LC 1 chairpersons as “presidents of their villages,” whose authority is central to community management.
Rt. Hon. Among thanked the President for increasing LC chairperson salaries from UGX 10,000 to UGX 100,000, arguing that the increment reflects the importance of grassroots leadership.
“You are the ones supposed to know everybody in your village. There is nothing that takes place without the authorization of an LC 1.”
She urged leaders to capitalize on their influence to secure an overwhelming NRM victory in the upcoming elections, noting that the party’s support base already exists within villages.
“The votes are within our members, not outside,” she said.
Rt. Hon. Among revealed that PDM funds had been expanded to include UGX 15 million specifically for parish-level leaders and their SACCOs.
The NRM Secretary General, Rt. Hon. Richard Todwong emphasized that leadership begins at home and at the LC 1 level. He reminded leaders of their responsibilities as “social doctors” who diagnose and address community challenges.
“Every LC 1 here must be aware of the number of households in this area, the social and economic issues, and the level of production.”
He urged them to use party structures effectively to deliver votes for President Museveni and all NRM flag bearers.
Hon. Calvin Echodu, the NRM Vice Chairperson, Eastern Region, reassured the President that Bugisu remains firmly behind him.
“Your people are mobilized, the structures are ready, and thank you for being our rallying point,” he said.
The Mbale meeting attracted an extensive delegation consisting of NRM Central Executive Committee members, District chairpersons, LCV flag bearers, Member of Parliament flag bearers, District chief secretaries, Sub-County NRM chairpersons, Parish and village NRM chairpersons, and LC 1 NRM flag bearers.
