President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has pledged a second parliamentary constituency for Buvuma District and announced firm timelines to extend electricity to the island, addressing long-standing infrastructure and development gaps facing island communities.
Museveni made the commitments on Saturday while campaigning in Buvuma, where he and the First Lady, Maama Janet Museveni, presented the National Resistance Movement (NRM) 2026–2031 manifesto to residents during the party’s rally on the island.
The President who is also the NRM flag bearer said Buvuma’s population, now estimated at 110,000 people, justifies expanded political representation in Parliament.
“It’s true that Buvuma should get a second constituency because one MP is not sufficient for the entire district,” Museveni said.
He acknowledged that Buvuma remains the only district in Uganda without electricity and directed government officials to explain delays in previous commitments to extend power to the island.
“This must be resolved,” Museveni said, outlining plans to connect Buvuma through rainfall-generated energy, solar mini-grids, and a marine electricity cable from Mayuge.
“We are going to connect this island to the national electricity grid through a marine cable from Kalangala,” he said, adding that solar-powered systems for trading centres would be operational within six months.
Museveni explained that the power project will be implemented in phases, beginning with solar and mini-grids for smaller islands before the marine cable delivers stable electricity to the main island within a year.
On wealth creation, the President emphasised palm oil as a key economic driver for Buvuma and assured landowners that compensation for land offered for oil palm cultivation will be paid.
“The funds are available, and what remains is to agree on how to compensate the landowners,” Museveni said, noting that verification of rightful beneficiaries was ongoing.
He also announced plans to establish palm oil processing factories on the island to reduce costs and create jobs.
“Once the palm oil processing mill is set up, it will create jobs for the youth,” Museveni said, adding that local processing would eliminate the need to transport palm oil to Kalangala.
Fishing, another pillar of Buvuma’s economy, featured prominently in the President’s address, with Museveni warning against overfishing and the destruction of breeding grounds.
“We shall put up fish ponds to offer alternative livelihoods,” he said, urging residents to protect breeding areas for tilapia and other species.
To support social services, Museveni pledged to upgrade existing health centres into district hospitals and establish boarding schools to cater for children of fishing families.
“Given the fishing lifestyle, we agreed to establish boarding schools so parents can work without worry,” he said.
The President also encouraged residents to diversify into coffee growing, fruit farming, and tourism, citing Kalangala as a model for island-based economic transformation.
First Lady Maama Janet Museveni urged residents to translate large rally turnouts into votes during the 2026 elections.
“We must not assume victory because of the large rallies. We need to show up and vote when the time comes,” she said.
NRM Vice Chairperson for Buganda, Haruna Kasolo, said the people of Buvuma welcomed the President’s pledges, particularly on electricity and transport.
“The people of Buvuma are happy to host you here. They are particularly pleased with the arrival of the marine boats, which will help the islanders,” Kasolo said.
He also stressed the urgency of compensating landowners to unlock investment in palm oil processing.
“The landowners need to be compensated so that the investor can set up the processing mill here. At the moment, people are transporting palm oil to Kalangala, which is costly and inefficient,” Kasolo added.
Museveni said the government had taken note of all the issues raised by residents and committed to acting on them as part of a broader plan to integrate Buvuma into Uganda’s national development agenda.
