Ankole has no special status under NRM, says Kyagulanyi

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National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi says the notion that Ankole has benefited disproportionately from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) under President Yoweri Museveni is not true, saying the region suffers what he called "the same neglect seen across the country".

While addressing supporters in Sheema on Friday, Kyagulanyi said that sections who he referred to as propaganda camps had created an impression that communities in Ankole, President Museveni’s home region, were better off than other parts of Uganda.

He said he has been able to see this first-hand and the futility of this thinking while campaigning across the country and interacting with people who continue to grapple with poor infrastructure and declining social services.

Kyangulanyi welcomed by supporters during the campaign trail. (Credit: Ponsiano Nsimbi)

Kyagulanyi on the campaign trail while addressing supporters in Sheema on Friday. (Credit: Ponsiano Nsimbi)

In addition to Sheema, the NUP leader, who is also known by his stage name Bobi Wine, campaigned in the gold-rich Buhweju District, which is also known for its abundant tea and matooke production.

“I have moved across Western Uganda and what I have seen is no different from what is in Busoga, Acholi or Buganda,” he said. Kyagulanyi was accompanied by his wife, Barbie, who hails from Ntungamo.

“The roads are bad, hospitals are struggling, and schools are in poor shape. So where is this special treatment people talk about?”

Kyagulanyi noted that it took his team seven hours to travel from Bushenyi to Sheema, a distance he said should not take more than an hour on a well-maintained road. He added that many farmers in the region remain trapped in poverty because they cannot access better markets for their produce.

“You are hardworking people, but you sell your matooke at sh2,000 or sh3,000 only for the same bunch to fetch ten times more in Kampala,” he said. “This is not because Ankole is favoured. It is because the government has failed to build proper roads and ensure fair markets.”

He accused the ruling party of using regional divisions to maintain political control, urging Western Uganda to stand with other regions in demanding better governance.

“They have mastered the art of dividing Ugandans, Baganda against Basoga, Banyankole against Baganda, yet the problems we face are the same,” Kyagulanyi said. “People of Ankole and Western Uganda, you deserve better than this. Let’s unite and vote for change.”

Kyagulanyi reiterated his pledge to improve infrastructure, secure fair markets for agricultural products, and end what he described as selective justice and political persecution.

He pledged to improve district road networks, saying they are key enablers of growth in local government, where most Ugandans get their services. 

Kyagulanyi also took a swipe at what he termed as rampant corruption. “If we stopped this haemorrhage, all these roads would be done in a short time, and we would still have a balance,” he said.

He argued that he has demonstrated efficient management of resources, saying that in less than seven years, the NUP has made tangible progress, including establishing a national headquarters in Kampala and several regional offices, among.