Museveni promises major infrastructure push in Buvuma, Buikwe

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President Yoweri Museveni, on December 3, 2026, campaigned in Buvuma and Buikwe districts as the National Resistance Movement intensified efforts to consolidate support in parts of central Uganda that voted largely for the opposition in the 2021 presidential election.

The President addressed supporters at Kadinindi playground in Buvuma district before proceeding to Buikwe, where he was accompanied by First Lady Janet Museveni and senior NRM leaders, including Speaker of Parliament Anita Among.

The rallies focused on wealth creation, service delivery, land issues, fishing, and infrastructure development.

Sheikh Sadat Badhola, the Buikwe district Kadhi, who led the prayers at the rally, prayed for the consolidation of peace and stability and commended the government for the Parish Development Model (PDM) programme and support to fishing communities in both Buikwe and Buvuma.

He welcomed the President and urged residents to continue working with government programmes aimed at improving livelihoods.

Buikwe NRM district chairperson Charles Kalangwa, who welcomed candidate Museveni in the area, told the gathering that he had personally benefited from Museveni’s leadership.

“I commend you and Maama Janet, and I am glad that since 2011, I have been moving with you. I am glad that you have offered us an opportunity. I managed to have a farm using the money you gave,” Kalangwa said.

Leaders list achievements, challenges

Diana Mutasingwa, the Woman MP for Buikwe and NRM flagbearer, highlighted several government projects in the district while also raising outstanding challenges.

“We commend you for the USMID project in Lugazi. We thank you for the Lugazi Central Market and other projects. We commend you for the sh1bn for the fishing communities. I thank you for the sh3.3 billion that you sent for roads, but we are challenged with road unit equipment in the two municipalities,” she said.

Mutasingwa told the President that fishing communities along Lake Victoria were calm and operating peacefully. However, she said Kiwungi Primary School and Njeru Health Centre IV still needed support, while Kawolo Hospital required an ambulance.

She also pointed to funding gaps in the development of Kiyindi town council and said many residents had not yet benefited from the PDM. “PDM still has challenges since many people have not received money yet,” she said.

Among raises land and PDM concerns

Speaker of Parliament Anita Among thanked residents for turning up in large numbers and for supporting the ruling party. “The people of Buikwe love you,” Among said, before listing key challenges in the areas.

“Here in Buikwe, there is an issue of land grabbing, but we shall tackle that. We will not allow people to grab your land, and where there are absentee landlords, the government will get a fund to pay off the landlords so that sitting tenants can retain their land,” Among said.

On PDM, Among warned against extortion, noting, “Some people are stealing PDM money. They are deducting money, yet the money is for the people. The government will deal with those involved,” she said.

She also said plans were underway to create a special wealth fund targeting youth, women and ghetto groups who had not accessed PDM funds.

Among the addressed challenges facing fishing communities, saying extortion would stop. “The people of the fishing community have been suffering, and money has been extorted from them, but no one will extort money from them again. The fish in the lake is yours, and you must protect it, and we are going to facilitate you to do fish farming,” she said.

She acknowledged that NRM did not perform well in the last election in the area but appealed for support. “In the last elections, we did not do well here, but I want to request you to vote for President Museveni,” she said.

Museveni outlines NRM priorities

Addressing the rallies, President Museveni thanked residents for braving the rain to attend.

“I welcome all of you and thank you for being firm in the rain,” he said.

Museveni said the NRM manifesto for 2026–2031 is anchored on seven key pillars drawn from the party’s record over the past four decades.

“The first one is peace. The second one is development, that is, roads, schools, hospitals, water, and electricity. The third one is wealth, and NRM insists on wealth per family. We have personal wealth, family wealth, and corporate wealth, and we insist on that,” he said.

He explained that the government deliberately prioritised household income and noted, “Previously, people were talking about roads and electricity, but we said no, because we don’t sleep on tarmac roads. Every home must have wealth.”

Citing earlier NRM programmes, Museveni recalled the four-acre model proposed in the 1996 manifesto and gave an example of a PDM beneficiary.

He cited the example of a Mukono resident known as Harriet Nampa whom he said met during his PDM tours.

Nampa got sh500,000 and bought three piglets costing sh300,000. She fed them locally, and later they gave birth to 27 piglets. She sold 25 piglets after two months at sh100,000 each, and got sh2.5 million. She saved sh1 million and used sh1.5 million to feed the remaining piggery.

Museveni said many PDM beneficiaries were already earning profits of up to sh1.5 million and urged fishers and youth to take advantage of the programme.

“We want you to be in the money economy, and fishermen, we are going to add you to the PDM programme. Youths, you are going to be given funds for beneficial work,” he said.

Jobs, investment, and wages

On employment, Museveni cautioned against viewing politics as a source of jobs. “Politics is not a job. When we went to the bush, we were not paid,” he said.

He pointed to industrial parks and private enterprises as major job creators. “Mukono Industrial Park has 75 factories employing about 2,000 people. Namanve has 273 factories employing about 4,400. Government’s role is to create conditions for investment through peace, affordable electricity, low transport costs and cheaper credit,” he said.

He explained why the government had not yet implemented a minimum wage because some things needed to be done first. “If we bring minimum wage before implementing our work on some things, the investors will make losses, collapse and go away,” Museveni said.

Land questions in Buganda

Museveni devoted part of his speech to land issues in Buganda, recalling debates during constitutional reforms.

“The Mailo owners bought land which had squatters, and we fought hard because the Mailo owner is not allowed to evict tenants. You made a mistake by electing opposition leaders, and in the next term we are going to add more money for the busuulu of landlords,” Museveni said, urging voters to support NRM.

Appeal for support

Museveni cited beneficiaries of the presidential skilling hubs, including Dorothy Nanteza and Ivan Wamodo from Kayunga, and called on residents to back the ruling party.

First Lady Janet Museveni, who had escorted Museveni for the rallies, also addressed the people and thanked residents for braving the rain.

“Thank you for standing in the rain, the people of Buikwe. We are constructing Uganda, and sometimes we have to endure and feel the pain. Together with stability and unity, we must stretch our hands and vote for NRM so that we can strongly build Uganda as a nation,” she said.

Museveni pledges second constituency for Buvuma

In Buvuma, Museveni made specific pledges targeting island communities, including the creation of a second parliamentary constituency.

“It’s true that Buvuma should get a second constituency because one MP is not sufficient for the entire district,” he said, noting that the island’s population had grown to about 110,000.

He urged residents to embrace palm oil cultivation and assured them that challenges in the sector would be resolved. “Once the palm oil processing mill is set up, it will create jobs for the youth,” Museveni said.

On compensation for bibanja holders who gave land for palm oil growing, Museveni said, “The funds are available, and what remains is to agree on how to compensate the landowners.”

Fishing challenges also featured prominently, but candidate Museveni pledged fishponds as an alternative to livelihood. “We shall put up fishponds to offer alternative livelihoods,” Museveni said, calling for protection of fish breeding areas.

He also pledged to improve infrastructure, including electricity and water. “We are going to connect this island to the national electricity grid through a marine cable from Kalangala. We will also begin with solar power for trading centres and mini grids, which will be up and running within six months,” Museveni said.

He also pledged to upgrade health centres to district hospitals and establish at least two boarding schools on the island.

Museveni’s campaigns in Buvuma and Buikwe come as NRM seeks to reclaim ground in central Uganda ahead of the next general election, with the party banking on wealth creation, infrastructure development, and land reforms to win over voters.