President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has pledged to fast-track long-delayed urban development projects in Masindi District, including roads and market infrastructure, under the planned Uganda Cities and Municipalities Infrastructure Development (UCMID) program set to begin in 2026.
Addressing thousands of supporters at a campaign rally in Masindi Municipality on Wednesday, the President said the district had been unfairly excluded from previous phases of the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) program despite its historic role in the liberation struggle.
“Masindi supported us very much during the struggle, and you prayed for us when we fought here. However, I realize Masindi was left out of the USMID program… Masindi will be considered,” President Museveni said in response to concerns raised by Masindi NRM Chairperson, Kabakumba Masiko.
He confirmed that UCMID currently in final planning stages under the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development will prioritise Masindi to address the municipality’s lack of a modern market and persistent problems with poor roads.
President Museveni also issued directives to the Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, instructing her to urgently resolve land-grabbing cases in the district and enforce the Sugar Act to address disputes between millers and sugarcane out-growers.
He further announced new government support for agricultural mechanisation, including additional tractors, and pledged to deliver a new ferry on Lake Albert to boost trade and transport.
The President urged residents to vote for him and all NRM flag bearers in the 2026 elections, saying the ruling party has ensured peace, stability, social transformation, and nationwide investment in infrastructure.
“Uganda had wars, but they have now been finished, and we have peace. Without peace, nothing can be done,” he said.
Museveni reviewed ongoing and planned interventions across Masindi’s social sectors. He said all outstanding roads will be upgraded, noting that the government has already completed major works in the district. He added that 15 out of Masindi’s 18 sub-counties and the entire municipality are now connected to the national power grid, and that more areas—including Katugo I, Bukooba II, and Katikara—will be connected in the next term.
On education, the President reported that Masindi District and Masindi Municipality currently have 98 government primary schools, 11 government secondary schools—nine offering USE and UPOLET—and an enrolment of 8,976 students. He reaffirmed the government’s goal of establishing a primary school in every parish and a secondary school in every sub-county.
He also outlined plans to expand the district’s health infrastructure. He said one sub-county has a hospital, three have Health Centre IVs, nine have Health Centre IIIs, and seven have no health facility. He announced upgrades for Bulima, Alimugonza, Labongo, and Nyabyeya Health Centre IIs, as well as new Health Centre IIIs in Kabango Town Council, Kigulya, and Kijunjubwa.
Museveni acknowledged that access to safe water remains a major challenge, with only 196 of the district’s 417 rural villages—47 percent—having clean water sources.
The President cautioned families against assuming that public infrastructure alone guarantees prosperity, stressing that wealth creation requires households to embrace commercial agriculture.
“Development without wealth, development is useless,” he said.
He urged residents to adopt the four-acre model and cited examples of highly profitable farmers such as Nakaseke dairy farmer George Matongo and Kamuli poultry farmer Johnson Basangwa, who employ hundreds and earn millions monthly.
“These people are getting rich not because they live near tarmac roads or electricity, but because they use land properly,” the President said.
Museveni also warned against overreliance on oil revenues ahead of Uganda’s expected 2026 oil production.
“Petroleum is an exhaustible resource, while commercial farming will be here forever,” he said.
The President expressed concern about reports of embezzlement of Parish Development Model (PDM) funds. He noted that Masindi’s 57 parishes have received Shs 20.35 billion, of which Shs 17.49 billion to 85.9 percent has been disbursed to 17,609 households.
He said his “new war” is ensuring that all PDM money reaches intended beneficiaries without diversion.
Prime Minister Nabbanja and NRM Vice Chairperson for Western Uganda, Asiimwe Jonard, also pledged overwhelming support for the President in the Bunyoro Sub-region ahead of the 2026 elections.
The rally drew ministers, senior NRM leaders, MPs, and former leaders, including NRM Secretary General Rt. Richard Todwong and NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson Dr. Tanga Odoi.
