At a campaign rally in Amolatar district, the crowd looked energized as President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni recalled the journey of Apio, a young woman from Lira who turned one million shillings into a thriving farm enterprise. She began with hired land for maize and later expanded into sheep rearing, finding a market as far as South Sudan. For Museveni, her story was proof that government programs can turn subsistence farmers into wealth creators.
The President, who launched his first campaign rally in the Lango Sub-region on Tuesday, framed the 2026 elections as a moment to consolidate Uganda’s gains and push every citizen deeper into the money economy. He emphasized that wealth creation, education reform, and fisheries development would form the core of his new term.
“People thought being a clerk was the only job. That is wrong. A farmer who feeds the nation has a job. Agriculture is a job. Fishing is a job. When you create wealth, you also create jobs,” Museveni told the people at the rally.
He praised the country’s immunization efforts, which have eliminated diseases like polio, but condemned theft of drugs in health centers.
“These health centers are not in Congo or Sudan; they are here with us. Stop stealing drugs. I will set up my own spy network to catch those stealing government drugs and even Parish Development Model money,” he warned.
On education, Museveni promised to abolish school charges that lock children out of classrooms and announced plans to recruit 50,000 teachers. He cited the success of the Presidential Zonal Skilling Hubs, where young people have acquired skills in carpentry, welding, bakery, and shoemaking in just six months.
“When I started the skilling hubs, children who had lost hope came back. In just six months, they are producing quality products,” he said.
He argued for day schools over boarding schools, calling them a cost-effective model that ensures access for all children. “One primary school per parish and one secondary school per sub-county is enough. Boarding schools bring unnecessary costs that have nothing to do with education,” Museveni noted.
The President also addressed regional grievances, confirming that the government will compensate Northern Uganda households with five cows each as part of post-conflict recovery. “I have already instructed the government to work on it. We shall do it slowly, but it will be done,” he assured.
Regarding fisheries, Museveni pledged specialized SACCOs for fishing communities and encouraged fish farming as a sustainable alternative to rice cultivation in wetlands. “Fishponds will give you much more. In Limoto, farmers are earning over 70 million shillings. The government will raise money for fishponds in Lango, Teso, Busoga, and Bukedi,” he said.
Government Chief Whip Denis Hamson Obua urged the people of Lango to rally behind Museveni under the campaign theme: “Protecting the Gains, Making a Qualitative Leap into High Middle-Income Status.”
Amolatar LCV Chairman, Geoffrey Ocen, appealed for upgrades in health facilities and faster cattle compensation, promising to deliver “100% votes” for the President in return.
