As President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s campaign trail rolled into Ngora and Kumi districts on Tuesday, the mood across Teso was one of optimism, unity, and anticipation.
Thousands of residents turned up to welcome the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer, whose message of transformation, wealth creation, and improved service delivery continues to resonate across Eastern Uganda.
The visit comes at a time when local leaders in Ngora and Kumi are renewing their calls for government intervention in critical infrastructure, especially roads, health facilities, and education institutions, which they say are key to unlocking development in the region.
The NRM Vice Chairperson for Eastern Uganda, David Calvin Echodu, described the ongoing presidential campaign in Teso as both encouraging and effective, crediting the party’s grassroots structures for the strong mobilization seen in recent days.
“I think the president’s campaign trail is going very well. The momentum in Teso is building. The grassroots are being mobilized and we are seeing people come to listen to the president’s message,” Echodu said. “The structure-based campaign is working very well, and we see people very activated and excited. So we are doing well.”
Echodu highlighted key concerns being raised across the sub-region, including roads, valley dams, and water control systems, alongside the longstanding issue of cattle compensation and restocking.
He confirmed that district-specific memos had already been presented to the president for consideration.
“The president has been very gracious. Almost all the roads and requests that people have raised have been addressed. The issue of cattle has been addressed as well,” he noted, emphasizing that the responsiveness of the president has boosted public morale and confidence in the NRM’s development agenda.
Echodu also emphasized the importance of teamwork and unity of purpose within the ruling party.
“It’s a group effort,” he said. “We may have differences, but what we are building is a unity of purpose. We are on the right track and will continue working together to consolidate NRM’s victory.”
At the rally in Ngora, the District Chairperson Mike Odongo used the opportunity to present the district’s major development needs directly to the president.
He outlined several infrastructure priorities that he said would significantly impact service delivery and local livelihoods.
“Some of the key things that we demand as the people of Ngora is expediting the tarmacking of the Kumi–Ngora–Brooks Corner–Serere–Kagwara Road,” Odongo said.
“We are also seeking the upgrade of Ngora Health Centre IV to hospital status, and the establishment of a government vocational training institute because we do not have one.”
Odongo further called for the government’s support in coding and taking over community schools for government aid, which he said would improve the quality of education and reduce the burden on parents.
He also echoed public interest in expanding the Parish Development Model (PDM), suggesting that its funding should be doubled.
“The PDM is helping a lot of people at the household level,” he said. “If the allocation can be doubled, it will accelerate poverty reduction and enterprise development.”
The Ngora Chairperson also expressed gratitude to the president for his recent directive on cattle compensation.
“We are happy to hear that every household will be given five heads of cattle. That is a good start, and we are grateful,” he remarked, drawing applause from the crowd.
In neighboring Kumi District, NRM mobilizers led by Samuel Otuba, a former aspirant for the Kumi County parliamentary seat, expressed gratitude to residents for turning up in large numbers to receive President Museveni.
Otuba said the massive turnout demonstrated the people’s faith in the president’s message and their readiness to support the NRM’s transformative agenda for another term.
“We thank the people of Kumi for responding to the grand mobilization drive to attend the rally today,” Otuba said.
“It is not just about attending the rally, but listening to the president’s message of unity, peace, and hard work, the very values that define the direction of this country’s transformation in the next five years.”
Otuba added that the people of Kumi were determined to heed the president’s call for self-reliance and productivity.
“We are proud to be considered for this engagement and determined to go back home to fight the poverty we left behind and drive it away within the next five years,” he stated.
Addressing the gathering, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni reaffirmed his government’s commitment to transforming the lives of Ugandans through continued investment in infrastructure, education, and health.
He said the NRM’s 2026 manifesto builds upon the foundation of peace and development achieved over the past four decades.
“The 2026 manifesto is a manifesto of transformation and is based on the works that the NRM has done in the past years,” the president said.
Museveni reminded the people of Teso that the NRM government had brought peace and stability to the region, recalling the dark days of insurgency and the painful memories of Mukura in Ngora District.
“Despite the bad lessons in the past, Teso is now peaceful and developing,” he said.
In a significant announcement, the president pledged to upgrade several health facilities in Ngora, including Opot and Atoot Health Centre IIs to Health Centre IIIs.
He also promised the construction of new Health Centre IIIs in Ngora Sub-county, Agirigiroi, and Morukakise sub-counties, measures aimed at improving access to healthcare services across the district.
“These health upgrades will bring services closer to the people,” Museveni said, adding that improved health and education infrastructure are central to the NRM’s vision of a prosperous and healthy Uganda.
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