President Museveni and First Lady Janet Museveni wave to supporters during the 80th birthday celebrations in Nakaseke District on September 15, 2024. PHOTO | PPU
On Sunday, President Museveni marked his third public visit in less than two months to Greater Luweero area since 2021.
He attended his 80th birthday celebrations in Kijjaguzo Parish, Semuto Town Council in Nakaseke District on Sunday. On August 15, the President was in Nyimbwa Sub-county where he commissioned a multipurpose block at Excel Vocational School in Luweero. He later addressed a rally about 2km away from the school.
On Sunday, September 1, Mr Museveni and First Lady Janet Museveni graced the closing ceremony for the Annual Mothers’ Union Conference for Buganda Region at Timnah Schools in Luweero Town Council.
However, political observers and a section of the population believe the visits are well calculated and a launch pad for the 2026 General Election.
A section of the observers believe that the visits could help Mr Museveni identify the key pressing needs of the people of Luweero and identify unfulfilled pledges that could unlock the closed doors ahead of 2026.
In the 2021 General Election, the Opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) party scooped most political seats across different levels in Greater Luweero, an area originally seen as a traditional NRM stronghold. For instance, NRM lost the district chairperson seat, all parliamentary seats and the presidential vote in Luweero District.
During the address to residents of Nyimbwa Sub-county, the President dedicated more time to reminding the public about his commitment to resolving the land question that remains a big puzzle across many areas in Central Uganda.
He dedicated some time to listening to a few people who raised individual complaints about the land problem while instructing his aides to register the names of the complainants, and the people implicated in the land evictions. While the President acknowledged the land problem, he blamed it on elected leaders.
“You should blame your elite leaders for the rampant and unresolved land-related disputes. When you elect elites as your leaders, they simply serve their interests. What is their usefulness (leaders) if they cannot defend the interests of the people?” Mr Museveni wondered.
While blaming the land challenge on the historical injustices made by the colonialists, he said if the NRM structures such as the LC system were vibrant, the issue would not be a big challenge.
It is reported that the President has instructed his teams from State House to follow up on the key land-related challenges and quickly report back. The instruction given to the teams is to meet the affected communities and possibly bring to book the people behind the land-related challenges.
Observers say by dedicating time and resources to preach the 4-acre model, Emyooga, and the Parish Development Model, the President is targeting to mobilise the large population in the rural centres to fully support his 2026 political bid.
By getting to know about the unfulfilled pledges among other government commitments, Mr Museveni could likely take action before 2026.
Personal intervention
He recently made a personal intervention to have the Luweero Hospital construction project, started by the district local government way back in 2013, taken over by the central government.
The Prime Minister, Ms Robinah Nabbanja, recently revealed that the President instructed her to ensure that the construction project is complete.
“The construction project has been handed over to the UPDF Engineering Brigade that the government contracted. I think we are doing well. This is Museveni, the Mzee you people of Luweero know very well. You only need to support him,” she said recently.
While at Timnah Primary School on September 1, Mr Museveni expressed concern about the school dropout rate for children in primary schools.
While the proposals about the feeding strategy that remains a big challenge brought some mixed reactions, the President pointed out that his idea is to have free primary school education. He also relayed the policy of the Universal Secondary Education (USE), insisting that the day schooling option will be rolled out.
“The government will build structures that include classroom blocks, laboratories, computer blocks and teachers' houses. The government will also pay the teachers. Your duty as parents will be to take the children to the schools without paying any extra charge,” he said.
But Mr Emmanuel Dombo, the director of Information and Mobilisation at the NRM Secretariat, disputes the assertion that President Museveni is already campaigning ahead of 2026.
“The President moves across the country on official programmes that are well coordinated and planned. The President visits a particular place with a purpose. Luweero enjoys a special status in the history of the NRM government and Uganda. It would only sound strange if the President failed to visit his people in the Luweero areas for a long time,” he said. Nevertheless, a section of the public is skeptical about the different government commitments to help disadvantaged groups.
Mr Geresome Tebandeke, a resident of Makulubita Sub-county, wants President Museveni to address the bad road network in Greater Luweero.
“We are troubled by the poor road network. When President Museveni delivers on the road network pledges, the NRM will retake the greater Luweero [from the Opposition],” he says.
Ms Elizabeth Nalwadda, a retired primary school teacher, says: “While we voted for the Opposition leaders, they have very little to offer because they only play the oversight role and remain helpless. We hope that the government has the funding for the different projects.”
“I think the government strategy of using the PDM funds to get to the very poor in the different communities can help our people. The money is little but at least it can get to the different families. You have a small home income project out of this small money (Shs1m) PDM funds,” she adds.
Veterans’ issues
For the last 38 years, the NRM government has struggled to complete the war debts compensation and gratuity programme.
Mzee Yusuf Ssemanda, 82, a veteran who got his compensation package in June after a long wait, says most genuine war veterans are failing to get their payoff.
“The veteran’s compensation programme has been infiltrated by mafia groups. They manipulate the system and pay out the names that are not genuine while the true veterans remain unpaid,” he says.
Mzee Ssemanda’s assertion can be collaborated with past incidents where individuals were arrested for manipulating the veterans and withdrawing their money from different commercial banks. But the vice has reportedly not died out completely.
In June 2024, at least Shs3b was released by the government to pay a total of 1.269 civilian war veterans.
Mr Erasto Kibirango, the Luweero District chairperson, remains unsettled about the many unfulfilled pledges in the area.
Unfulfilled pledges
“We have the Zirobwe- Wobulenzi-Katikamu- Nakaseke –Kapeeka road whose pledge for upgrading has been around for about 20 years. The people of Luweero demand a fruit processing plant and the district office block promised by President Museveni. These are part of the many pledges that the government should fulfill,” he says.
Nevertheless, a section of residents in Greater Luweero believe that the opposition political parties, especially NUP that scooped five legislative slots from the area could struggle to retain the positions.
“Apart from sending the MPs to Parliament, we do not feel the impact. The opposition is now more divided without genuine reasons but selfish desires. When the NRM camp strategises fulfilling the pending pledges, the year 2026 could be different,” Mr Stephen Ssemakula, a retired veterinary officer in Bamunanika Sub-county, says.
Mr Ronald Ndaula, the Luweero District NRM party chairperson, says in a bid to fight unemployment, the government has extended several skilling programmes to the area.
