Museveni returns to Kigezi with NRM party meeting in Kisoro

President Museveni is today expected in Kisoro District in Kigezi sub-region to campaign for himself and party flag bearers ahead of the January 14 general election. 

The NRM presidential candidate is making a return to the region following the ruling party's arrangement for him to revisit certain areas and districts he skipped earlier. 

Since November, Mr Museveni has been traversing the country, meeting with NRM party leaders from various districts, preaching to them the party manifesto and intentions for the next five years. 

Following the Electoral Commission guidelines that were issued at the beginning of the campaign season in November, the President has been meeting selected party leaders per district he visited.
 
However, last month the Electoral Commission released new guidelines banning political activity in 14 districts and cities across the country. 

According to the EC, the chosen districts have registered high numbers Covid-19 cases and the ban is to curb the further escalation of the situation in Uganda.
 
The NRM party Secretary General, Justine Kasule Lumumba, on Sunday said following the suspension of political activities in the 14 districts, President Museveni would revisit some districts where he was recently and also go to those he skipped. This, according to the party arrangements will go hand-in-hand with his television and radio addresses across the country.

The President on Sunday had an interview with the New Vision and sister publications under the Vision Group in which he discussed a number of issues.

Top on the list was banning the local service tax, caution security against unexplained arrests, and why he deployed the army in the city centre.
 
After addressing the NRM leaders in Kisoro, Museveni will later conduct a radio and TV address. 

In Kisoro, the President is expected to among other things address the issue of the Irish potato processing factory which the Government took over from an investor after he failed to run it. The government through the Uganda Development Bank had given about Shs9 billion to Kisoro Potato Processing Plant in 2013.

The factory is expected to provide relief to over 10,000 potato farmers in the region who lose money to the low prices of raw potatoes. 

The Government under the Uganda Development Cooperation (UDC) is also exploring setting up an Irish potato processing facility in Kabale.
 
Additionally, through UDC the government partnered with Kigezi Highland Tea Factory Limited through lease finance to set up tea factories in Kisoro and Kabale respectively. 

The factories are currently off taking tea grown in the two districts. This will increase the value of exports by USD. 2.4 Million per annum, enable skills development among the Youths and create job opportunities. 

The NRM presidential flag bearer was in Kigezi sub-region in mid-December where he addressed party leaders from different districts, highlighting key achievements the party has registered as well as other development programmes that the NRM intends to achieve once re-elected. 

On December 13, the President kicked off his Kigezi trail, addressing leaders of Kabale, Rukiga, Rubanda and Kisoro at Kabale main stadium in Kabale Municipality. 

On December 14, the NRM presidential flag bearer met NRM district and youth leaders from Kigezi at Nshwere Primary School in Kiruhura District. Mr Museveni wound up his trail in Kigezi with a meeting of party leaders from Rukungiri and Kanungu districts at Rukungiri stadium.

Throughout his Kigezi tour, the President preached wealth creation, appealing to the youth to have proper calculation and striving to work for both the stomach and the pocket (subsistence and commercial production) rather than the stomach alone.