Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) presidential candidate Mugisha Muntu has questioned the deployment of Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers on the country’s lakes, attributing it to poor governance.
Campaigning in Rubirizi District, Muntu - a former army commander who retired at the rank of a major-general - met fishermen from Lakes Edward and George who complained of harassment and abuse by military personnel—a situation he vowed to address if elected in 2026.
“I have always asked myself what the UPDF is doing on the lakes instead of police. These soldiers are not only on Lakes Edward and George, they’re also on Lakes Victoria and Kyoga. Yet, our neighbors Kenya and Tanzania, who share Lake Victoria with us, hardly deploy the army on their waters,” Muntu said while addressing supporters in Katerera town.
Residents in Rubirizi, like other districts, also voiced concerns over high loans from SACCOs and banks, lack of drugs in government hospitals, fears of losing coffee gardens to government projects, and poor road infrastructure.
Gen. Muntu attributed these challenges to mismanagement, self-serving leadership, and President Yoweri Museveni’s extended tenure.
“The challenges facing people here aren’t different from those across the country. There is a road here that Gen. Museveni promised to tarmac 30 years ago. He may come back and promise the same again. I am confident that this rhetoric will end in 2026 when I am voted into office,” Muntu assured his supporters.
Highlighting his clean track record, Muntu called on Ugandans to entrust him with the presidency, claiming he is the only candidate capable of leading the country without corruption.
“It’s time Ugandans make conscious choices about who to send into leadership positions, especially the presidency, because the fish rots from the head,” Muntu said, adding that Museveni’s retirement is overdue and positioning himself as a credible replacement.
He also urged security agencies to stop intimidating citizens seeking political change.
Gen. Muntu’s campaign in Rubirizi covered Katerera and Bunyaruguru constituencies. He is scheduled to campaign in Rwampara on Saturday, followed by Bushenyi and Sheema districts on Sunday and Monday, respectively.