President Museveni has urged NRM leaders in the Busoga sub-region to remain humble and embrace humility, unity, and discipline.
Addressing thousands of NRM leaders from all Busoga districts at Iganga Girls’ Secondary School on Saturday, Museveni said leadership without humility breeds conflict and ultimately harms ordinary Ugandans, especially the poor.
“So please, I ask you to be humble as leaders. If I were not humble, I would not have managed Uganda,” Museveni said, drawing applause from party cadres and local leaders.
Museveni, who has been president for 40 years and is seeking a seventh term, said unity among political leaders is not optional but essential for development.
He warned that when leaders quarrel, it is the poor who suffer most because they depend on stable governance and coordinated leadership to escape poverty.
“What I advise you is that poor people need unity among leaders because you are delaying their coming out of poverty by not working together,” he said.
“The ones who are suffering are the poor people. When the rich are quarrelling, they are in good cars and houses. They can afford to quarrel. Every day you stay in poverty, somebody may even die because of poverty.”
His remarks came against the backdrop of long-standing political rivalries in Busoga that have often pitted senior NRM figures against one another, weakening party cohesion.
Museveni contrasted Busoga’s internal divisions with other regions where similar NRM mobilisation meetings have been held, including Bukedi, Lango, Bugisu, West Nile, and Acholi, which he said demonstrated greater unity despite political differences.
He revealed that the Busoga meeting had been organised at the request of the state minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Persis Namuganza, but was later affected by the very divisions it was meant to address.
“You must cure this problem because it is Namuganza who asked me to bring this meeting here,” Museveni said.
“When I rang her, she told me we must do it here. I agreed because we do not have time to hold such meetings everywhere,” he added. However, Namuganza did not attend the meeting.
Museveni said he personally intervened to resolve confusion over invitations, particularly involving the first deputy prime minister and minister for East African Community affairs, Rebecca Kadaga.
“I spoke to my young sister Kadaga to ask where she was, and she told me she was not invited,” he said.
“I then rang the Speaker of Parliament to ask why Kadaga was not invited. She told me all flag bearers were invited.”
Museveni said when he called Kadaga again, she questioned how the invitation had been communicated.
“She asked, ‘How was I invited? Through the radio or what?’ When I reached here, I asked how you invited Kadaga,” he said.
Iganga district NRM chairperson Hajji Abubakar Walubi later explained that invitations had been sent through RDCs, DISOs, and party structures down to parish and village levels.
Walubi said he also confirmed with Kamuli district NRM chairperson Mathew Bazanya that all district chairpersons had been informed and many had attended.
The meeting was part of a broader NRM strategy to energise grassroots structures ahead of the 2026 general elections as the ruling party seeks to consolidate support for another five-year term.
Museveni revisited the four-acre model introduced in the NRM’s 1996 manifesto, aimed at helping smallholder farmers maximise income through integrated farming.
He cited state minister for Transport and Bugangaizi West MP Fred Byamukama, whose four-acre farm earns significant income from eggs, coffee, and livestock.
“He sells 310 trays of eggs per day and gets Shs108 million per month, remaining with Shs55 million as profit,” Museveni said, adding that this translates into nearly Shs700 million a year from eggs alone.
The First NRM national vice chairperson, Moses Kigongo, thanked Busoga leaders for turning up in large numbers and expressed confidence that the region would deliver strong support in the January 15, 2026, general elections.
Second NRM national vice chairperson and Speaker of Parliament Anita Among said the meeting was meant to ensure message discipline at the grassroots level.
“Whereas Museveni is president, you are also presidents of your villages,” she told the leaders.
“Nothing can be done without your input as LC1 chairpersons.”
