President Museveni, accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni, was on Monday afternoon received by thousands of supporters at Booma Grounds in Mbarara City as he continued his campaign trail in the Ankole Sub-region.
Addressing residents from both Mbarara District and Mbarara City, the President urged them to support and vote for National Resistance Movement (NRM) flagbearers in the 2026 general elections.
President Museveni highlighted the first major contribution of the NRM to Uganda—peace—recalling the instability the country experienced in 1972, 1979 and 1985.
He noted that Uganda now enjoys peace “from border to border” because the NRM rejected sectarian politics based on religion, tribe, gender or other divisions, paving the way for the establishment of strong institutions such as the police, the army and the judiciary.
He cited development as the second NRM contribution, emphasizing progress in economic and social infrastructure. The President pointed to significant improvements in the national road network under the NRM government, including the rehabilitation of older roads, and announced that government will construct the Biharwe–Bwizibwera road.
He added that electricity coverage has expanded greatly and “is almost everywhere.”
On wealth creation, President Museveni urged Ugandans to shift focus from development alone to household income improvement.
He gave the example of George Matongo of Ngoma, who earns Shs21 million per month from dairy farming despite living far from tarmac roads and electricity.
He advised families with small landholdings to adopt the four-acre model: coffee in the first acre, fruits in the second, pasture for zero-grazing dairy cows in the third, food crops in the fourth, and enterprises such as poultry, piggery or fish farming in the backyard.
He emphasized that the NRM government is the only one in Africa that gives citizens money to help them overcome poverty, arguing that infrastructure alone is not enough if households remain poor.
For urban residents, he highlighted skilling centres that train young people in hairdressing, tailoring, welding, brickmaking, bakery and other trades that can generate wealth even without land.
President Museveni noted that 30% of Uganda’s population remains outside the money economy, and this is the group he is committed to integrating.
He identified job creation as the fourth NRM contribution, noting that employment emerges from commercial agriculture, services, ICT and manufacturing.
The President appealed to the people of Mbarara to continue supporting the NRM, saying the party has clearly demonstrated its contributions to Uganda’s transformation.
In her remarks, the first lady t praised the unity and overwhelming support shown by the people of Mbarara.
She said the massive turnout had sent a strong message to the entire country.
She encouraged residents to intensify grassroots mobilisation, move house to house, and work towards securing 99.9% of the vote for NRM in the upcoming elections.
She cautioned against complacency, noting that large crowds must translate into actual votes, and urged supporters to motivate others to turn up on election day.
Mbarara District NRM Chairperson, Mr. Prosper Atuheise , thanked the President for founding a party that has united Ugandans and rejected tribal, religious and political sectarianism.
He also appreciated the government’s development programmes in the district, including the Parish Development Model and improved road networks.
Mbarara City NRM Chairperson, Mr. Wilson Tumwine, expressed gratitude to the President for approving the upgrade of Nyakisharara Airfield into an international airport.
He further appealed for the construction of a stadium in Mbarara City to enhance sports development and nurture young talent.