KAMULI, Uganda — President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has appealed to Ugandans, particularly the people of Busoga, to renew the National Resistance Movement’s mandate in the 2026 general elections based on what he called the party’s “seven factual contributions to Uganda’s house.”
The president, accompanied by First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports Janet Kataaha Museveni, made the remarks Thursday while addressing a campaign rally at Bupadhengo Primary School grounds in Kamuli District.
He emphasized peace, development, wealth and jobs as four of the seven achievements that the NRM has delivered to Ugandans since taking power in 1986.
At the rally, part of his intensive week-long campaign tour across the Busoga sub-region, Museveni said Ugandans should vote based on evidence of performance, not political rhetoric.
“Therefore, I ask you to support NRM because of what it has done on the ground. When somebody asks you why you’re supporting NRM, tell them the NRM has already made some contributions to Uganda’s house. In the manifesto, we mention seven contributions,” Museveni said.
He criticized political opponents whom he accused of lacking any tangible contribution to the country’s progress.
“You who are against NRM, what contribution have you made to Uganda? What have you done? Where is the evidence? They don’t have a single contribution they have made to Uganda,” he said, urging Busoga residents not to heed “negative voices.”
The NRM candidate also expressed satisfaction that more Ugandans are now demanding the establishment of industrial parks, which he said are critical for job creation and economic transformation.
“Therefore, I’m glad that you’re making land available for industrial parks, like the one in Namasagali,” he said.
The President noted that Uganda’s factories currently employ about 1.3 million people, tripling the number of government jobs, which stand at 480,000. He pointed out the Sino-Mbale Industrial Park, which he said hosts more than 75 factories, as an example of successful NRM-driven industrialisation.
The park, he explained, demonstrates how manufacturing, commercial agriculture, and services are creating employment for young Ugandans.
He also highlighted the story of Basangwa Johnson, a Kamuli-based poultry farmer who employs 300 people.
“In 2005, Basangwa was among those fighting for the job of LC5 chairman. Now his farm is offering jobs to 300 Ugandans through small-scale intensive agriculture,” President Museveni said, arguing that targeted household-based enterprises can yield higher returns than political contests.
President Museveni further reminded the crowd that Uganda’s first major achievement under NRM rule is the restoration of peace and security.
“There were troubles in 1966, when Kabaka Muteesa was exiled. People like Kyabazinga Nadiope were put in jail. Then Idi Amin came and started killing people such as Hajji Balunywa, Shaban Nkuutu, Mbigiti, Kasadha, Ntare, and many others,” President Museveni recounted.
He added that when Milton Obote returned after Amin’s fall, the country again suffered violent conflicts in areas such as Luuka and Muterere.
“But the NRM has stopped all that, and there’s peace in the whole country now. That’s contribution number one-peace, and it is factual. It’s not just a story, but it’s what happened,” he emphasized.
President Museveni recounted his personal involvement in Uganda’s political struggles dating back to the 1960s, noting that his early activism with figures like Grace Ibingira shaped his resolve to fight sectarianism and build a unified nation.
President Museveni also cited infrastructure development; economic and social, as the NRM’s second major contribution. These include roads, electricity, telecommunication, railways, schools, and hospitals.
He announced several upcoming road projects that he said have already secured funding.
“On the side of the roads, the big development which is coming is working on the Jinja-Budondo-Mbulamuti- up to Kamuli – Bukungu, and then 10 km of Jinja city roads. This road is already funded, and the money is there,” he announced.
The other road President Museveni mentioned for construction is Iganga-Buloopa -Kamuli.
“The third road is Kamuli-Kaliro-Namwiwa to Pallisa. These are the new roads coming up in this area,” he added.
“I’m happy that Jinja–Kamuli is in good condition because we have reconstructed it,” the President added, stressing that improved roads will boost trade, agriculture, and industry in Busoga.
President Museveni also explained NRM’s third contribution—wealth creation at the household level. He argued that many people confuse “development” (such as roads and schools) with “wealth,” which belongs to individual households.
“We started emphasizing this in the 1960s and expanded it in the cattle corridor,” he said.
He explained the 4-acre model, first presented in the 1996 manifesto, which advises small landholders to diversify income through coffee, fruits, pasture for zero-grazing dairy cows, food crops, and in the backyard poultry for eggs, piggery, and fish farming for those near wetlands.
“Those with big land can grow maize, sugarcane, tobacco, and cotton,” he said, warning that small landholders should avoid copying large-scale farmers.
As proof, President Museveni again referenced poultry farmer Basangwa Johnson, who he said rose from a 50×100 ft plot of land with 500 chickens to now collecting 2,000 trays of eggs and earning about Shs 20 million per day.
“I’m appealing to all NRM people to be careful about the medicine for wealth creation for those with small land and those with big land,” he emphasized.
Maama Janet thanked Busoga residents for their high turnout and urged them to mobilize widely for the NRM.
“Thank you for being here in such big numbers,” she said.
“Make it your responsibility to mobilize your neighbors and friends. Vote for NRM, and Uganda will build strong pillars of government. Education will become better by the year,” Maama Janet added, attracting loud cheers, especially from the youth and women’s groups present.
Several senior party leaders also addressed the rally, among them was NRM First National Vice Chairman Alhajji Moses Kigongo, First Deputy Prime Minister and Kamuli Woman MP, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, and Kamuli District NRM Chairperson Matthew Bazanya.
Alhajji Kigongo emphasized discipline as the foundation of political victory.
“Acquiring as many votes comes from being disciplined. We are the only ones who have brought peace to Uganda,” he said.
Rt. Hon. Kadaga and other leaders rallied Busoga to turn out in large numbers and “deliver a decisive win for NRM.”
Commissioning of Cassava Starch Factory:
Earlier in the day in Kamuli, President Museveni and the First Lady commissioned a US$50 million cassava starch processing plant in Namasagali, spearheaded by Dr. Matthias Magoola of Dei BioPharma Ltd.
The plant, the first phase of a larger industrial complex, will produce starch, glucose, maltose, and fructose, key ingredients in pharmaceutical manufacturing that Uganda has long imported.
The facility is expected to, among other contributions, create over 40,000 direct and indirect jobs, provide a stable market for cassava farmers, reduce Uganda’s import bill for pharmaceutical inputs, and accelerate pharmaceutical self-reliance.
President Museveni praised Dr. Magoola’s initiative and promised government support for the broader industrial park. However, he cautioned small landholders against rushing into cassava cultivation for industry without understanding profitability.
“We must be clear about the earnings per acre per year,” he said. “If it’s not much, we shouldn’t repeat the mistake of sugarcane, where people with small land copied those with huge chunks of land.”
With two more rallies scheduled in Jinja and Iganga on Friday, President Museveni is expected to conclude his Busoga campaign tour with strong appeals centered on the seven contributions of NRM to Uganda.
