MBARARA, Uganda — President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, accompanied by First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports Janet Museveni, was received by thousands of supporters at Booma Grounds in Mbarara City on Thursday as he campaigned in the Ankole Sub-region.
At the rally, the president urged residents of Mbarara District and City to vote for National Resistance Movement flagbearers in the 2026 general elections.
President Museveni also highlighted the first NRM contribution to Uganda—peace, recalling the turmoil the country faced in 1972, 1979 and 1985.
He said today the country enjoys peace “from border to border” because the NRM rejected sectarian politics based on religion, tribe, gender and other divisions, enabling the establishment of strong institutions such as the police, army and judiciary.
The second contribution—development, he said, comprises economic and social infrastructure.
President Museveni pointed to improvements in the national road network under the NRM government, including the rehabilitation of old roads, and announced that the government will construct the Biharwe– Bwizibwera road. He added that electricity coverage has significantly expanded and “is almost everywhere.”
On wealth creation, the President urged Ugandans to shift attention from development alone to improving household income.
He cited the example of George Matongo of Ngoma, who earns Shs21 million per month from dairy farming despite living far from tarmac and electricity.
President Museveni encouraged families with small landholdings to adopt the four-acre model: coffee in the first acre, fruits in the second, pasture for zero-grazing dairy cows in the third, food crops in the fourth, and enterprises such as poultry, piggery or fish farming in the backyard.
He said the NRM government is the only one in Africa that gives citizens money to help them overcome poverty, arguing that infrastructure alone is not useful if citizens remain poor. For urban residents, he highlighted skilling centres that offer training in hairdressing, tailoring, welding, brickmaking, bakery and more—skills that can create wealth even for those without land.
President Museveni added that 30% of Uganda’s population remains outside the money economy, and this is the group he is determined to integrate.
He listed job creation as the fourth NRM contribution, noting that jobs come from commercial agriculture, services, ICT and factories.
The President appealed to the people of Mbarara to continue supporting the NRM, saying the party has already demonstrated its contributions to Uganda.
On her part, Maama Janet praised the unity and overwhelming support to NRM by the people of Mbarara.
“Today the people of Mbarara have spoken to the whole of Uganda without saying anything. You have made a big statement. I want to request you to continue doing grassroots mobilisation house to house and aim at getting 99.9% in Mbarara in the coming election for the NRM. Most people say that when you come in big numbers like this, it means that it’s an automatic win for NRM, but you need to go an extra mile—look for more votes and encourage them to come on the voting day and vote for the NRM,” she said.
Mbarara District NRM Chairperson, Mr. Atuheise Prosper hailed the President for founding a party that has united Ugandans and rejected sectarianism based on tribe, religion or political affiliation. He also thanked the President for the development programmes in the district, including the Parish Development Model and improved road networks.
Mbarara City NRM Chairperson, Mr. Wilson Tumwine thanked the President for approving the upgrade of Nyakisharara Airfield into an international airport. He also requested the construction of a stadium in Mbarara City to boost sports development and nurture local talent.
