On a warm afternoon in Jinja City, as crowds thinned at Kyabazinga Stadium, President Yoweri Museveni paused to reflect on a region he believes has travelled a long and difficult road. The cheers had barely faded when he turned to the theme that would define the end of his Busoga campaign trail, peace as the foundation of everything that followed.
He told the people of Busoga that their progress mirrors the pillars on which the NRM has built Uganda. He recalled a time when this same region grappled with insecurity, noting that insurgent groups once pushed as far as Magamaga and Busede. “We brought peace to the whole country. That was the first pillar of Uganda’s house,” he said.
Museveni used his final rally to take stock of what government investments have delivered. He pointed to improved roads, citing work on the Jinja–Tororo road, the Jinja–Kampala highway, and earlier upgrades on the Jinja–Kamuli route. He announced that funds have now been secured for the long-awaited Jinja–Budondo–Mbulamuti–Kamuli road. The project, he said, had stalled because competing national needs stretched limited resources. “When people demand many things at the same time, resources scatter and little is achieved. Prioritisation is essential,” he said, linking the principle to the NRM’s early guerrilla years.
The President then turned to education, a sector he described as central to equal opportunity. Jinja District and Jinja City together host more than 70 government primary schools and 20 government secondary schools. Still, he argued, the country must ensure that every parish has at least one government primary school.
Museveni noted that the health sector has also expanded, with every sub-county in Jinja District and Jinja City now hosting functional health facilities, from Health Centre IIIs to the regional referral hospital.
He placed strong emphasis on wealth creation, calling it the “third pillar” of Uganda’s transformation. He urged households to adopt the four-acre model and other enterprises under government initiatives such as the Parish Development Model, Operation Wealth Creation, and the MYOGAs. He added that urban youth without land can use skilling hubs to earn through trades like tailoring and metal fabrication. These programmes, he said, are turning young people into active contributors to household income.
Industrialisation featured prominently in his address. Museveni said factories across Busoga are creating jobs and reshaping the region’s economic landscape. He promised to address concerns of corruption in factory recruitment to ensure opportunities reach those they are meant to serve.
With the Busoga leg complete, Museveni said he will head to Kigezi, beginning the next phase of his nationwide campaign. His message to supporters was clear: the drive toward peace, development, and household prosperity must continue. In his own words: “When asked why they support NRM, they should confidently say peace, development, wealth creation, jobs, services, integration and East African unity.”
Before leaving, he thanked the people of Busoga for their hospitality. “Mwebale Inho!!” he said, waving to a crowd that had spent days receiving him across the sub-region.
