Museveni takes campaign to Buvuma, Buikwe districts

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President Yoweri Museveni is today campaigning in Buvuma and Buikwe districts as the National Resistance Movement (NRM) steps up efforts to regain support in parts of central Uganda that voted largely for the opposition in the 2021 presidential election.

In Buvuma District, the President is expected to address supporters at Kadinindi playground. He will also campaign in Buikwe District, where NRM leaders say the rallies will focus on development achievements and plans outlined in the party manifesto.

Local NRM leaders and residents in Buikwe have cited several projects they say justify renewed support for President Museveni.

Busowa Samuel, the NRM chairperson for Lugazi Municipality, said the district has benefited from major investments, including the refurbishment and construction of Kawolo Hospital, which he said cost over $12 million and was accompanied by the recruitment of 16 new staff.

He added that Buikwe has so far received sh150 million per parish under the Parish Development Model, with 67 parishes benefiting.

However, he noted that land disputes remain a challenge and called for the President’s intervention. 

He also pointed to roads constructed under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) programme, costing over sh47 billion, and the installation of solar street lights in Lugazi.

Nambatya Sauyah, the NRM treasurer for Buikwe District, said the government constructed most of the seed secondary schools in the district, except in Lugazi Central Division and Kiyindi Town Council.

She also credited the government for supporting schools along the shores of Lake Victoria through the ICELAND project, which renovated and constructed schools and provided furniture and equipment.

She said that although Museveni scored 32 percent in the last election, he is expected to perform better in the next polls.

Kizito Hussein, an NRM resident of Ngogwe Sub-county, urged voters to support the ruling party in 2026, citing the elevation of Ngogwe/Katovu Health Centre III to Health Centre IV and the deployment of additional staff, including a doctor.

He said this development alone was enough reason for residents to support Museveni, despite the area previously voting for the opposition.

Imran Sulaiman, a resident of Kyabaggu Zone in Njeru Division, said President Museveni and the security forces restored peace in the peri-urban area of Njeru and improved road infrastructure through the allocation of sh1 billion.

Issues shaping voter concerns

A Vision Group survey of 6,006 Ugandans of voting age, conducted between March and May 2025 across 45 districts and 17 sub-regions, showed that health was the leading concern in the central region at 17.4 percent.

This was followed by road network and transport issues at 14.8 percent, poverty at 10.0 per cent, education at 9.6 per cent, employment at 9.1 percent, water and sanitation at 7.4 percent, and national security at 7.3 percent.

However, the government has pointed to ongoing and planned infrastructure projects as part of its response to these concerns.

In Mukono District, roads at various stages of completion include the 14-kilometre Nambole–Namilyango–Seeta–Mukono road, the 10.5-kilometre Bweyogerere–Jokas–Namanve–Mukono Uganda Christian University road, and the 0.6-kilometre Mukono Town Junction road.

In the NRM manifesto, President Museveni pledged continued investment in transport, saying the party would complete the rehabilitation of the Tororo–Gulu metre gauge railway line and refurbish the Mukono–Jinja metre gauge railway line.

Other commitments include completing the construction of 184 solar-powered piped water systems in rural communities of Buvuma, Buikwe, Mukono, and Kayunga and constructing new piped water supply systems, expanding sewage treatment systems in the area sub-catchments, increasing the number of High Court circuits, and completing the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal buildings.

The NRM also promises to complete and operationalise search and rescue centres at Masese in Jinja, Kaazi in Busaabala, Kampala, Misonzi in Kalangala, Numba Emu in Buvuma, Kiyindi in Buikwe and Lwanika in Namayingo if voted back into power.

How Buvuma and Buikwe voted in 2021

Results from the 2021 presidential election show that both districts largely voted for opposition candidate Robert Kyagulanyi.

In Buvuma District, out of 42,415 registered voters, President Museveni received 6,814 votes, representing 32.36 per cent of the total votes cast. Kyagulanyi won with 13,572 votes, or 64.45 per cent, while Patrick Amuriat Oboi received 208 votes.

In Buikwe District, Museveni secured 40,900 votes, representing 32.52 per cent, while Kyagulanyi won 81,852 votes, or 65.08 per cent. Amuriat garnered 1,039 votes. The district had 235,640 registered voters.