📷 We want a country that prioritises quality, Muntu tells Kalaki voters

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The Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) presidential candidate Maj. Gen. (rtd) Mugisha Muntu has unleashed a scathing critique on Friday, telling a crowd of disgruntled voters in Kalaki town council to shun voting leaders based on money that they normally receive from leaders.

While the lives of ordinary Ugandans remain stagnant. “You have taken shillings from candidates, you have taken promises, and yet your situation has never changed,” Muntu said, his voice ringing across the rally at central ward, Kalaki town council in Kalaki district.

“We want to construct tarmac roads which will stand for 30 years, not for four years. We want a country that prioritises quality education for both the poor and the rich, and we want to enrol in a health insurance scheme to improve the lives of citizens,” Muntu promised.

The remark came amid a wave of similar statements he has made across the country, urging citizens to stop treating votes as a commodity and to hold leaders accountable for mismanaging public resources.

Muntu warned, “If you want good leadership, stop taking money from politicians,” emphasising that vote‑buying has become a “huge monster” that fuels corruption and underdevelopment.

Just stand up and fight for your rights through this vote. No government programme will get you out of poverty. They brought, “Entandikwa, Boona Bagagawale, Emyooga and others. Now there is the Parish Development Model (PDM), but it is only their collaborators who have become rich out of all those programmes?

We plan to bring farm mechanised machines for our farmers and introduce good and better animal breeds for them. This will help our people to have better yields and get money out of what they produce.

Fight Kaberamaido poverty

On Friday, November 14, 2025, Muntu said he would launch a poverty‑eradication drive in Kaberamaido district pledging to transform the region’s subsistence‑based economy into a thriving, market‑oriented system.

Addressing voters during a campaign rally at Ararak B ward in Kaberamaido town council in Kaberamaido district, Muntu told hundreds of farmers, traders and youth that “the era of a begging life must end” and outlined a bold five‑point agenda to lift Kaberamaido out of chronic poverty.

The visit marks the latest stop on Muntu’s nationwide “poverty fight” caravan, following recent rallies in Kole, Arua, Kwania, Dokolo, Amoratar and Kaberamaido, where he highlighted similar themes of agricultural commercialisation, infrastructure development and anti‑corruption measures.

Muntu’s plan mirrors the framework he presented across the country but tailors it to Kaberamaido’s unique challenges.

In a rallying cry, “Uganda is not a country of survival, it is a nation destined for shared prosperity. Let us build a modern economy that works for every Ugandan,” he pledged.

Richard Opio, a local businessman and chairperson Kumam Entertainment Association said the area has a poor road network that needs the Government to address.

“A 73km road from Katine to Ochero was promised to be tarmacked since the 2001 elections, but it has remained dusty without tarmac since then,” he said.

Opio, who also pointed out unemployment challenges that he said affect majority youth, wants the government to compensate families whose cattle were raided by Karamoja cattle rustlers in 1980’s.

“We have been promised compensation since then, and nothing has ever been done. We need change,” he added.

Muntu outlines his poverty eradication program

Muntu vowed to establish agricultural banks to provide affordable credit and launch free tractor‑hire services to boost mechanised farming.

“You have fertile land; we will ensure you have the tools and finance to farm commercially,” he declared.

He pledged fast‑tracking the tarmac upgrade of the 85km Amolatar‑Kioga road, a project residents have demanded for years.

Muntu promised to secure funding and begin construction within his first 100 days.

On industrialisation, Muntu promised to set up small‑scale agro‑processing plants in every sub‑county to add value to produce like maize, beans and cassava, creating jobs for youth.

With his commitment to fight poverty completely, Muntu suggested an inclusive governance by restructuring intelligence and security agencies to curb corruption and ensure transparent distribution of development funds.

“Uganda is rich, but imports from China. To fight poverty, we have to produce from here,” Muntu echoed President Museveni’s recent statement at a national conference, emphasising the need for local value addition.