NUP's Kyagulanyi vows to restore Busoga’s industrial glory

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National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi has pledged to revive Busoga’s once-vibrant industrial base through targeted investments, improved infrastructure, and policy reforms aimed at restoring the region’s economic standing.

He said the area’s industrial decline, marked by the collapse or underperformance of sugar mills, textile factories, and agro-processing facilities, has robbed thousands of people of jobs and income.

He said Busoga was once a major industrial hub, providing employment and driving national growth, but that the region's decline was not accidental and is largely the result of neglect by the current government.

Kyagulanyi was speaking in Jinja city on Friday (November 28), where he spent the better part of the day canvassing for votes as he pursues the presidency.

“At the time of independence, everyone envied Busoga. Nearly all the sugar consumed in the country and much of the electricity was produced here. You were very prosperous, but not anymore,” he said, adding that prosperity has since been replaced by poverty.

“Apart from Karamoja, no region in Uganda has more poverty than Busoga."

Kyagulanyi pledged that if elected, his administration would prioritise reliable electricity supply, improved road networks, and affordable credit to attract investors back to the region. He emphasised value addition in key sectors such as sugarcane, maize, rice, and fisheries as a pathway to inclusive growth, alongside fighting corruption and government waste.

“In a new Uganda, we shall not buy teargas; we shall buy medicine and fully stock our hospitals,” he said.

He also criticised what he described as excessive policing at his rallies, saying the money spent facilitating police operations and fueling dozens of vehicles could instead be used to improve service delivery, including equipping hospitals.

“In our government, you will not see all these trucks following a presidential candidate. Instead, we shall use that money to buy ambulances."

The two-time presidential candidate urged the people of Busoga to actively participate in what he termed the struggle to “free Uganda”, saying the responsibility should not be left to him alone.

“The people are more powerful when they unite through their vote. Those in power do not fear politicians; they fear the people. You do not have to wait for Kyagulanyi to fight for yourself.”

Kyagulanyi was accompanied by area leaders, including Paul Mwiru, who is contesting for Jinja South Division East Constituency, and Dr Timothy Batuwa, a contender for Jinja South East constituency.

During his rally, he urged residents to defend what he described as political gains made by NUP in Busoga, where seven districts voted for the party during the last elections.

He reminded supporters that the launch of the NUP manifesto was held in Busoga as a recognition of the region’s political support.

“I urge you to work hard so that no one says NUP is only strong in Buganda,” he said.

In addition to Jinja, Kyagulanyi was later on Friday scheduled to campaign in Iganga Municipality.

Unlike in Kawempe, Mukono, Buikwe, and Kayunga, where police enforced restrictions on processions, Kyagulanyi encountered relatively minimal interference from security forces in Jinja.