President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has announced plans for a “belt of connectivity” that will link Teso to Karamoja, northern Uganda and the rest of the country. It is a network of roads designed to drive trade, integration, and rural development across the region.
Speaking to an enthusiastic crowd in Bukedea as he concluded his campaign trail in the Teso Sub-region, Museveni described the project as a cornerstone of his broader plan to turn peace into prosperity. The initiative, he said, is not just about tarmac and bridges but about creating the arteries through which economic life will flow.
“There is another road we are making from Soroti to Abim,” the President announced to thunderous applause. “Once these roads are completed, all of Teso will be linked with Karamoja, with northern Uganda, and with the rest of the country.”
From Isolation to Integration
For decades, Teso’s semi-arid terrain and sparse road network limited its potential as a hub for agriculture and trade. But Museveni’s plan which includes roads from Soroti to Abim, Katakwi to Toroma, and Kumi to Ongino, seeks to rewrite that story. When complete, these corridors will connect farmers to markets, facilitate regional transport, and spur local enterprise.
“The road is not the destination, it’s the way to progress,” Museveni told the cheering crowd. “You don’t sleep on the tarmac, but it takes you where you need to go, to markets, to schools, to hospitals. That’s development.”
He cited the Tororo–South Sudan road and the Moroto–Bugisu highway as examples of how improved transport links have already transformed commerce and mobility in eastern Uganda. The new Soroti–Abim road, he added, will further extend that success story deep into Karamoja, fostering cross-regional trade and unity.
Development Beyond the Road
While infrastructure dominated his address, the President emphasized that roads must serve as pathways to opportunity, not just symbols of progress. He highlighted complementary investments in electricity, water, and social services that will enable communities to thrive once the connectivity belt is in place.
Electricity has reached most sub-counties in Bukedea, he noted, with plans to connect remaining areas like Kocheka and Kowena. The Kyoga–Gweri–Teso Water Scheme, meanwhile, will bring clean, piped water from Lake Kyoga to homes and farms across the region.
“Development is like a tree,” Museveni said. “The roots are roads, power, and water, they hold everything together.”
Education and Health at the Core
Museveni reaffirmed his government’s goal to ensure every parish has a primary school and every sub-county a secondary school. In Bukedea, 98 government primary schools and nine secondary schools are already operational, with new Seed Secondary Schools under construction in Kabarwa and Bukedea Town.
For health, he pledged to upgrade facilities such as Aminit Health Centre and construct new ones in Komuge, Aligoi, and Kowena to expand access to medical care. “Development must touch every home through education, health, and livelihoods,” he said.
Sustaining Livelihoods Through Irrigation
The President also highlighted agriculture as the foundation of household wealth, pointing to the newly commissioned Shs71 billion Achomai Irrigation Scheme in Kamutur as a model for modern farming. The project will help farmers grow crops year-round without depending on rainfall, while protecting wetlands from degradation.
“Take water from the swamp to the dry land and irrigate,” he advised. “That’s how we grow safely and protect the environment.”
A Region Reconnected
As dusk fell over Bukedea, Museveni’s message echoed through the crowd, peace has given Uganda stability, and now development will give it prosperity. The belt of connectivity he envisions promises not just smoother roads but stronger links between people, markets, and regions.
For Teso, a region once known for hardship, that promise signals a new chapter, one in which roads, power lines, and irrigation canals form the backbone of transformation.
“The road is not the destination, it’s the way to progress. And that progress will bring you closer to your dreams,” Museveni said.