A senior figure from the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP), Brian Asingwire has defected to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), giving President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s campaign a fresh boost during a rally in Kagadi District.
The defection was announced at a rally in Muhorro, Kagadi District. Brian Asingwire, a top NUP figure in Buyaga East who had served the party for six years, had stepped down from the race and declared support for the NRM after assessing the government’s development record in the area.
Some politicians noted that Asingwire’s decision reflected growing confidence in NRM leadership and its development agenda in Kagadi District and the wider Bunyoro sub-region.
Addressing residents, President Museveni said the NRM is built on unity, peace and development, not politics based on tribe, religion or gender.
He said before colonialism, Ugandan communities thrived on skills and productivity, a philosophy he said the NRM has restored through peace, strong institutions and economic empowerment.
President Museveni highlighted government achievements, including improved roads, schools and hospitals, and wealth-creation programmes driven by commercial agriculture.
“We must work for the stomach and also for the wallet,” Museveni said, citing successful farming models and industrial growth initiatives.
He pointed to industrial parks, including Mbale Industrial Park, as examples of how industrialisation is creating jobs and strengthening the economy.
The President pledged further government support to Kagadi, including the construction of a new skilling hub to bring vocational training closer to residents and the rehabilitation of the Ndaiga–Kagadi road.
He also raised concern over delays in the disbursement of coffee funds and assured residents that the issue would be followed up to ensure quick resolution.
Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja told the rally that leaders in Kagadi were united behind President Museveni and pledged overwhelming electoral support.
She also conveyed greetings from Kenyan President William Ruto, who she said wished Museveni a landslide victory.
Nabbanja urged NRM leaders and supporters to intensify grassroots mobilisation, including door-to-door campaigns, ahead of the 2026 elections.
The people of Kagadi commended President Museveni for safeguarding freedom of worship, investing in oil roads, supporting tea growers with Shs360 billion, constructing Hoima City Stadium and establishing a public university in Bunyoro.
The rally highlighted growing NRM influence in Kagadi, marked by opposition defections and renewed unity among local leaders, strengthening President Museveni’s campaign in the region.