As the midday sun beat down on Dokolo Technical School grounds, chants of “NRM oyee!” rippled through the crowd. Thousands of supporters had gathered, some waving yellow flags, others balancing children on their laps, waiting for President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to address them. For many, it was not just another campaign rally. It was a moment to weigh promises against lived realities.
On October 1, 2025, the President, who is also the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flagbearer, made a bold pitch to voters in Amolatar and Dokolo districts. His message was consistent: wealth creation, infrastructure, and social transformation remain the pillars of Uganda’s path to middle-income status.
“We must move beyond working for the stomach,” President Museveni told the cheering crowd. “If you only work for food, where do you get money to buy clothes and other things?” His words carried urgency, underlining a theme he has long championed—shifting households from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture.
To illustrate his point, he spotlighted ordinary success stories from Lango. He spoke of Okello, a farmer in Amolatar thriving on commercial farming, and Apio, a woman who invested Parish Development Model (PDM) funds into maize and livestock, transforming her family’s fortunes. “These are testimonies of how small support, when properly utilized, can change families forever,” Museveni said.
The PDM, which allocates UGX 100 million to each parish annually, dominated much of his speech. Museveni emphasized its difference from high-interest loans, promising repayment flexibility and new allocations to ensure local leaders also benefit. He warned against misuse of the funds. “Don’t let anyone play around with this PDM money. If anybody tries to, expose them and we arrest them,” he declared.
Beyond the economy, Museveni tapped into memories and history. He reminded the crowd of how limited education opportunities were in the 1960s compared to today’s expanded network of schools. “When I was at Ntare School in 1961, we had boys from Lango because in the whole of Uganda there were only six A-Level schools. Now you check how many schools you have in Lango,” he said, pledging more investment in education and skills training.
Health services, too, featured in his message. Acknowledging drug theft in facilities, he called for community vigilance. “If I get my people of God to monitor, we can stop drug theft. We must work together to end this problem,” he urged.
The President also highlighted the NRM’s track record in infrastructure. From electricity reaching beyond Lira to the exponential rise of telecommunication lines, he painted a picture of transformation since 1986. Roads, particularly the Lango–Namasale and Lira–Barlege stretches, topped his list of new priorities.
Linking job creation to household wealth, he argued that thriving families create employment for others. He cited the example of Joseph Ijara from Serere, who reportedly earns UGX 1 billion annually while employing dozens of Ugandans. “Wealth begins at the homestead,” Museveni stressed, urging residents to adopt his four-acre farming model with coffee, fruits, dairy, and food crops at its core.
In addressing long-standing grievances, Museveni spoke of cattle compensation for northern Uganda, pledging that affected households would each receive five cows over time. He asked for patience but assured his audience that the government was committed to delivering.
The rally also doubled as a show of party strength. Museveni handed NRM flags to parliamentary flagbearers in Dokolo and welcomed defectors from opposition ranks. Local leaders amplified his message with bold promises. “Our target is to give you 85% or even 100% of the votes. It is possible in Dokolo,” declared Geoffrey Opio Ekong, the NRM district chairperson.
Endorsements flowed from national figures. Government Chief Whip Denis Hamson Obua pointed to milestones like Lira University and Akibua Stadium as proof of the NRM’s development footprint. Richard Todwong, the party’s Secretary General, urged the crowd to safeguard what he called the party’s “hard-won gains.”
With Lango now firmly on his campaign map, Museveni’s next campaign rallies are set in Otuke and Alebtong districts , where he is expected to reinforce his pledges of stability, prosperity, and transformation. For his supporters in Dokolo, the rally was both a call to trust in continuity and a promise of renewed investment in their future.