Presidents Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has called on residents of Kyankwanzi District to prioritise wealth creation and job generation, saying lasting peace under the National Resistance Movement has created a stable foundation for economic transformation.
Addressing supporters at an NRM campaign rally in Kyankwanzi on Tuesday, Museveni said the ruling party’s first and most critical achievement was restoring peace after decades of conflict that devastated parts of Luweero and central Uganda in the 1970s and 1980s.
“Uganda has now spent about 40 years without war, and a whole generation has grown up without experiencing conflict,” Museveni said, contrasting the country’s stability with insecurity in parts of the region.
He said peace was achieved by ending sectarian politics based on religion, tribe and gender, which enabled the country to build strong national institutions, including the army, police and prisons.
Turning to development, Museveni highlighted major investments in infrastructure, especially roads and electricity. He said road networks that once ended in Busunju and Mityana now extend through Mubende to Fort Portal and reach the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Out of Kyankwanzi’s 21 sub-counties, Museveni said only three are yet to be connected to the national electricity grid.
He added that access to safe water has improved, with 420 of the district’s 486 villages now served, though he stressed the need to expand irrigation to support agriculture. Museveni cited his own banana plantation in Bushenyi as an example of how irrigation significantly boosts yields.
“Our swamps can support irrigation if they are well planned, but people should stop encroaching on wetlands,” he said.
The President emphasised that development alone is not enough without deliberate wealth creation at household level. He urged small-scale farmers to adopt the four-acre model, combining food crops, cash crops, livestock, poultry and piggery, while encouraging larger landowners to invest in commercial farming.
Museveni said increased household wealth directly contributes to national growth and job creation, noting that most employment opportunities come from commercial agriculture, industrialisation, artisan skills, services and information and communication technology.
NRM Vice Chairman Al-Haji Moses Kigongo thanked supporters for turning up despite the rain, describing it as a sign of commitment to the party, and urged peaceful and disciplined mobilisation ahead of the elections.
NRM Vice Chairperson for Central Region Haruna Kasolo commended residents for resisting land grabbing and praised party mobilisers for conducting door-to-door campaigns.
Museveni concluded by urging residents to actively engage in wealth creation, saying it remains the most sustainable path to jobs and improved livelihoods.
