President Museveni, the NRM presidential candidate has pledged to support coffee farmers in Ibanda District by establishing a coffee processing facility aimed at boosting productivity, improving quality, and raising household incomes through value addition.
The president made the commitment on Saturday, while addressing thousands of supporters during a campaign rally at Kagongo Demonstration School playground in Ibanda District, as he intensified his campaign trail across the Ankole sub-region.
Ibanda, one of Uganda’s major coffee-producing districts, grows both Arabica and Robusta varieties, with Arabica thriving particularly well in the high-altitude ranges of the Rwenzori Mountain ecosystem.
Coffee farming remains a key economic activity for households in the district, making the President’s pledge a significant development opportunity for the region.
“You, the people of Ibanda, already know what to do. Therefore, I will help you establish a coffee processing facility to add value to your coffee,” Museveni told the cheering crowd.
He added that the government would continue supporting farmers under the Parish Development Model (PDM), including providing free coffee seedlings from both government nursery beds and his personal nurseries at Kisozi.
“We shall continue with the PDM money and also give you free coffee seedlings from the government nursery beds that we shall establish,” he said. “PDM will continue where people invest in whatever they want—poultry, pigs, goats, and others.”
The NRM Chairperson for Ibanda District, Jovrine Kaliisa Kyomukama, highlighted the district’s strong coffee footprint, noting that 28,062 acres are under cultivation, producing an estimated 14,381 tons annually and earning up to Shs 178 billion.
Despite this progress, she said farmers still face challenges, particularly the shortage of modern coffee dryers, hullers, and processing equipment at the parish level.
“The coffee you gave us through PDM has done wonders, leading to improved coffee production at the household level,” she said. “But we need dryers per parish and coffee hullers.”
Residents at the rally shared testimonies reflecting the district’s growing prosperity from commercial agriculture.
Mr. Mutabaazi Wilbroad, a coffee farmer from Nyabuhikye Sub-county, revealed that he earns more than Shs 40 million per season from his 8-acre coffee farm.
“From one acre, I get about Shs 8 million per season, meaning Shs 16 million per year,” he explained.
President Museveni applauded such success stories, saying coffee has transformed livelihoods across Uganda. He noted that Uganda now earns US$2 billion annually from coffee exports, making it one of the country’s leading sources of foreign exchange.
“Coffee has created wealth for households and for the country as well,” he emphasized.
According to official statistics presented at the rally, Ibanda District has shown strong progress in PDM implementation.
Ibanda District (40 PDM SACCOs) received Shs 14.39 billion, of which Shs 12.39 billion (86.07%) was disbursed to 12,391 households.
Ibanda Municipality (21 PDM SACCOs) received Shs 7.50 billion, of which Shs 6.45 billion (85.96%) was disbursed to 6,454 households.
In total, the district and municipality have received Shs 21.9 billion.
President Museveni encouraged parish and sub-county leaders to ensure the remaining households also benefit. He cautioned the public against confusing development with wealth creation.
“Development is for all of us—schools, roads, hospitals. But wealth and poverty are personal. We need households to embrace wealth creation,” he said, revisiting the 4-acre model first introduced in the 1996 manifesto.
The model encourages farmers to allocate one acre to coffee, one to fruits, one to food crops, and one to zero-grazing livestock, while using backyards for poultry, piggery, or fish farming.
The President also highlighted the seven key contributions of the NRM as featured in the 2026–2031 manifesto. He reminded voters of the value of peace in the region, noting that threats from armed groups that previously operated in the Kamwenge forests had been neutralized.
“You, the people of Ibanda, know what peace means,” he said. “Those who wanted to disrupt this peace were dealt with.”
On development, he emphasized ongoing and upcoming infrastructure projects, including major road works across the region. He assured residents that the Mbarara–Ibanda road would be reconstructed, while other routes—such as Ishaka–Bushenyi, Ibanda–Kagongo–Kabujogera–Kamwenge, and Nyamarebe–Kyegegwa—would also be rehabilitated.
He further promised to consider establishing a ferry on Lake George to boost trade between Rubanda, Rubirizi, and Kasese districts. Kyomukama noted that the absence of a reliable transport system across the lake forces residents to rely on risky alternatives, especially when transporting livestock to markets.
On social infrastructure, the President acknowledged Ibanda’s strong performance in school and health facility accessibility but advised residents to focus equally on wealth creation, saying it is through wealth that jobs are generated.
He pointed to the growing number of industrial parks—such as Sino-Mbale Industrial Park with 75 factories and Namanve Industrial Park with over 270 factories—as evidence of the NRM’s commitment to job creation.
“These employ far more Ugandans than government institutions, which have only 480,000 jobs for a population nearing 50 million,” he said.
To illustrate opportunities in commercial agriculture, he cited examples such as Johnson Basangwa, a poultry farmer in Kamuli producing 200 trays of eggs daily and earning Shs 20 million per day, employing 300 workers.
Another example was George Matongo, a dairy farmer from Ngoma, Nakaseke, who produces over 900 litres of milk daily, earning about Shs 21 million per month, despite living far from tarmac roads or electricity.
Ibanda has long been an NRM stronghold. In the 2021 Presidential Elections, out of 140,486 registered voters, 90,801 (64.6%) turned up, with President Museveni winning 77,521 votes (87.3%).
For the 2026 elections, the district has 153,810 registered voters—an increase of 13,324. Polling stations have risen from 280 in 2021 to 410.