Kiruhura voted for performance and not son of the soil

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OPINION

By Wilson Kajwengye

The results of the recent presidential election in greater Kiruhura and Kazo have once again stirred debate about voting patterns, regional loyalty and the logic that informs political choices in rural Uganda. But beyond the debate of Kiruhura and Kazo voting 99% for President Museveni lies a more important truth: Kiruhura did not vote out of sentiment. It voted out of experience, memory, and measurable transformation. The overwhelming support for President Yoweri Museveni was not accidental; it was earned through decades of engagement, consistency, and visible results. It was the same pattern in other areas like Karamoja, which equally gave President Museveni over 90% of the vote.

Long before national politics became polarised, the area that later became Kiruhura District was already a testing ground for ideas that would eventually define the country’s development trajectory. As early as the late 1960s, the then-student activist Museveni engaged communities in Nyabushozi with messages that were unconventional at the time but revolutionary in hindsight: settle down, modernise livestock farming, manage land sustainably and invest in education.

Those messages were practical responses to real challenges faced by pastoralist communities. These included challenges of drought, cattle disease, land degradation and poverty. Over time, many residents embraced the call to settle, fence land, dig valley dams, spray cattle against ticks, and adopt improved breeds. The results are visible today. Kiruhura and greater Ankole in general are now one of Uganda’s leading milk-producing districts, supplying millions of litres daily to several processing plants. Dairy farming has become a reliable source of income, funding education, healthcare, and household stability.

Today, supermarket shelves are dominated by locally processed powdered milk and milk products. Until recently, quality locally processed yoghurt was scarce, but today more than 20 large companies are producing it. The same trend applies to cheese, ghee and fresh drinking milk.

During the State of the Nation Address on June 8, 2025, President Museveni announced that milk production had risen to 5.5 billion litres per year, up from 3.2 billion litres in 2020 and 2.8 billion litres in 2017. This translates to roughly 15 million litres per day, the highest in Uganda’s history. We are now a net exporter of milk as a country.

This transformation did not happen overnight, nor did it occur by accident. It required peace, policy continuity, and leadership that understood the local context. For communities that had once lived at the mercy of seasons and insecurity, stability became the foundation upon which progress was built. The value of peace in a rural, production-driven economy cannot be overstated. Schools can only function when children are safe. Markets only thrive when roads are secure. Investments only make sense when tomorrow is predictable.

As land sizes shrink due to population growth and inheritance, the challenge of productivity has evolved. Here again, voters in Kiruhura and indeed other parts of the country point to leadership that adapted rather than stagnated. The promotion of the four-acre model—integrating dairy farming with coffee, bananas, and food crops—spoke directly to the realities of smallholder farmers across the country. Using the Musevenomics strategy has offered a way to maximise limited land while ensuring food security and steady income. For many households, this approach has turned subsistence holdings into viable commercial units.

Government programmes such as the Parish Development Model, Emyooga have further reinforced this progress. While implementation challenges exist, their presence at the grassroots level has expanded access to capital and inspired a culture of enterprise. These programmes are not abstract policy documents; they are tools that people interact with daily, shaping livelihoods and expectations.

It is also important to dispel the notion that Kiruhura voted for the President simply because he hails from the region. Karamoja voted in the same range. Ugandans have repeatedly demonstrated that regional origin alone does not guarantee electoral support. What matters is whether leadership responds to people’s needs. Roads, schools, health facilities, religious institutions, and markets are not built by birthplace; they are built by policy choices and sustained commitment.

The election results, therefore, reflect a broader philosophy among voters: reward what works.

As Uganda moves forward, there are lessons to be drawn. Development that is visible, inclusive, and rooted in local realities creates its own political legitimacy. Leadership that listens, adapts, and maintains stability earns trust across generations. And voters, often underestimated, are capable of making rational choices based on long-term benefit rather than short-term excitement.

In the end, Kiruhura’s vote was not a statement about where the President comes from. It was a verdict on service delivery, consistency and transformation. For its people, effective leadership is measured in milk yields, school attendance, household income and peace—not slogans. That is why, when given the choice, they voted not for sentiment, but for performance.

And other parts of Uganda that had previously voted against the President have now resoundingly voted for the President and the NRM flag bearers. That too is an uncontested statement that President Museveni and the NRM have the best programme for Uganda

The writer is Member of Parliament Nyabushozi County