Kyagulanyi promises to start national school feeding Programme

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National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu has announced plans to introduce a nationwide free school feeding programme if elected president in the 2026 general elections.

“No child should have to study on an empty stomach. We are going to implement a programme where milk and eggs will be part of the school feeding schedule,” Kyagulanyi told an enthusiastic crowd that packed Mayuge District Headquarters.

Speaking at a campaign rally at Mayuge District Headquarters on Friday, Kyagulanyi said the initiative would be a key pillar of his education policy, aimed at improving school attendance, retention, and academic performance among children, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

The NUP leader said a free school feeding programme, especially for children in primary school, is not a luxury but a necessity if Uganda is to secure its future.

According to Kyagulanyi, the plan will prioritise public primary schools, which he said are grappling with high dropout rates largely due to poverty and hunger at home.

While full details of the funding and implementation strategy were not disclosed, Kyagulanyi hinted that the programme would be financed by reallocating resources from what he termed “wasteful government spending.”

Kyagulanyi, who officially launched his presidential campaign in the Busoga sub-region, also pledged to empower women, particularly those engaged in agriculture. He noted that many women involved in poultry farming struggle to access markets, a challenge he vowed to address.

During the same rally, Kyagulanyi also committed to tackling brutality against fishermen. Recalling a previous visit to Mayuge, he said a young man had spoken to him about the violence occurring on the lakes. As a symbolic gesture, the young man handed him an oar (enkasi).

“The first thing I will do when I come to power is issue an executive order to remove the army from the lakes,” Kyagulanyi said, warning that those involved in acts of brutality “will not go scot-free.”

“We are going to establish a commission of inquiry into the brutality against fishermen,” he added.

On Friday, Robert Kyagulanyi continued his campaign tour of the Busoga region, with his schedule indicating rallies in Mayuge and Iganga districts. Although the situation remained largely peaceful, his visit to Mayuge was not without challenges.

His rally in Mayuge started unusually late, as his campaign team was forced to wait for several hours at Musita trading centre in Mayuge before they were eventually guided through a village road to the campaign venue—a journey to his first rally location that took nearly two hours.

Later, as he departed from the venue, Kyagulanyi and members of his security detail had a brief altercation with security personnel at Mbare in Mayuge, while he was en route to his next rally.

By press time, Kyagulanyi was scheduled to hold his final rally of the day in Iganga District.