President Museveni has attributed Busoga’s slow economic progress to persistent leadership divisions, following the conspicuous absence of First Deputy Prime Minister Rebecca Kadaga and State Minister for Lands Persis Namuganza from a key NRM leaders’ meeting in Iganga.
The President made the remarks while addressing National Resistance Movement (NRM) leaders from across Busoga at Iganga Secondary School.
The meeting, intended to discuss regional development and campaign mobilisation, was largely attended by leaders aligned with Speaker of Parliament and NRM Second National Vice Chairperson (Female), Anita Among.
President Museveni revealed that Persis Namuganza, who had originally proposed the regional leaders’ meeting to discuss poverty eradication, was not present.
“It was Namuganza who told me to hold a regional leaders’ meeting to tell you leaders how to fight poverty, but I wonder why she is not here,” Museveni said.
He also disclosed that he had personally contacted Rebecca Kadaga before the meeting. Kadaga reportedly told him she had not received an invitation, prompting Museveni to check with Speaker Among and the NRM Iganga Chairman, who confirmed that invitations had been sent through district party structures.
“I spoke to my sister Rebecca when I was coming here and she told me she wasn’t invited. I immediately called Speaker Anita Among, who said every leader was invited,” he said.
Museveni used the occasion to urge humility among Busoga leaders, warning that internal disputes have entrenched poverty in the sub-region.
“Leaders should learn to be humble. If I wasn’t humble, I would not have managed to govern Uganda,” he said, likening the divisions to a Kinyankole proverb cautioning against looking back while working, which he said leads to failure.
The President explained that his visit to Busoga was part of a nationwide campaign to promote wealth creation and poverty eradication, guided by the government’s seven pillars, including peace, patriotism, national unity, and socio-economic transformation.
Campaign leaders assured Museveni that mobilisation efforts were progressing well.
Third Deputy Prime Minister Lukia Nakadama said, “We have done our part, and I am pretty sure this year’s results will be better than the 2021 results,” while campaign official Dorothy Kisaka urged residents to vote in large numbers for President Museveni and the NRM.
The Kadaga–Among rivalry, which dates back to 2021 when Among allied with the late Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah to unseat Kadaga from the Speakership, continues to influence NRM politics in Busoga.
The rivalry intensified during the race for NRM Second National Vice Chairperson (Female), which Among won decisively.
Since then, the party has operated in parallel camps, a split that became particularly visible during recent NRM primaries. Several incumbents aligned with Among, including Milton Muwuma and Livingstone Zijjan, were defeated.
Political analysts warn that unless reconciliation efforts are undertaken, the deepening divisions could undermine NRM’s performance in Busoga during the 2026 general elections.
Kadaga’s continued absence from events attended by Among signals that the divide remains unresolved.
