Bugiri District LC5 Chairperson Mulumba Davidson Kasajja has been elected as the new political head, commonly referred to as Governor, of the Busoga Consortium for Development (BCD), as leaders in the sub-region intensified efforts to tackle poverty by 2030.
Kasajja’s election was confirmed during a high-level meeting of local government leaders from the 12 administrative units of Busoga held at the Civil Service College in Jinja City.
He succeeds Bishop Frank Tibagendeka, the former Mayuge District LC5 Chairperson, who completed a two-year tenure. Iganga District LC5 Chairperson Shabiru Isabirye was elected Vice Governor.
In his new role, Kasajja will work closely with BCD Director General Anthony Mula and the consortium’s patron, First Deputy Prime Minister Rebecca Kadaga, to advance regional development programmes focused on poverty alleviation, education, and agricultural transformation.
Key among the initiatives is the Village Agriculture Model (VAM), a flagship programme designed to complement the government’s Parish Development Model (PDM).
The event attracted senior leaders including Third Deputy Prime Minister and BCD Ministerial Coordination Committee Chairperson Rukia Nakadama, district Chief Administrative Officers, as well as cultural and religious leaders.
Presenting the consortium’s five-year strategic outlook, Director General Anthony Mula said Busoga’s development prospects are anchored in regional unity and coordinated political mobilisation. He said the consortium would leverage cohesion within the Busoga Parliamentary Caucus to strengthen lobbying structures at national level.
Mula highlighted the Village Agriculture Model Programme as a key intervention inspired by rural development approaches in China.
The project has already been piloted in Namayingo, Mayuge and Kamuli districts and is expected to expand to 12 model villages by 2028.
“The programme targets lifting approximately 9,000 households out of extreme poverty while positioning Busoga as one of Uganda’s fastest-growing sub-regions on a path toward middle-income status by 2030,” Mula said.
He also outlined plans to equip one million young people with technical and entrepreneurial skills through local and international training networks.
In education, BCD is set to launch a digital learning programme in July 2026 that will connect 50 schools to live lessons delivered by specialised teachers in real time.
Complementing this is a school feeding and soya milk initiative aimed at improving learners’ nutrition and academic performance, implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Sports, local governments, and the Busoga Kingdom.
Mula also pointed to growing international cooperation, noting that Busoga recently exported 11 tonnes of chilli from Kamuli to China’s Liaoning and Shandong provinces in a landmark trade development.
In her remarks, Nakadama commended the outgoing leadership and urged strict accountability in the use of public funds, particularly under the Parish Development Model allocations. She warned against corruption and called for closer cooperation between leaders and administrative officers.
In his acceptance speech, Kasajja pledged to promote unity across political, religious, and cultural lines, saying cohesion would be central to development.
Outgoing Governor Tibagendeka thanked the BCD Secretariat and media for their support and praised continuity in leadership within the consortium.
The transition comes as Busoga intensifies coordinated efforts to address poverty through agriculture, education reform, youth skills development, and strengthened regional partnerships.