As President Museveni prepares to launch his campaign in Busoga, on Saturday, there is a lingering shadow of Ms Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga’s defeat in a recent poll.
Ms Kadaga, who is the East African Affairs minister, First Deputy Prime Minister and Kamuli Woman MP, lost her position as the National Resistance Movement (NRM) second national vice chairperson (female) in the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) poll, which took place in August.
Ms Kadaga lost the CEC seat to Speaker of Parliament Anita Among who garnered 11,680 votes (92.8 percent) against her 902 votes, representing 7.2 percent of the 12,582 total votes cast. Some of the sub-region’s voters have highlighted Ms Kadaga’s defeat as a key issue that could influence Mr Museveni’s support in Busoga.
Mr Meddy Mbetyo, national deputy secretary for mobilising and organising in the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) , said Ms Kadaga’s losing in CEC will impact voting in Busoga because she is currently supporting some independent candidates who lost in the NRM party primaries, which is likely to affect the performance of NRM in Busoga.
He, however, said:’Ms Kadaga has nothing to tell Basoga because at first she told people in Busoga that Museveni is fighting her, now again the same person is telling people that support Museveni. She is giving contradicting statements.’
Mr Solomon Kaswabuli, Namutumba District National Unity Platform (NUP) spokesperson, concured with Mr Mbetyo, by saying that Ms Kadaga’s actions after her defeat, especially in mobilising support for Mr Museveni could further divide voters in Busoga.
He added that Ms Kadaga is ”again doing a disservice” to Ugandans and Basoga by campaigning for Mr Museveni’s re-election, echoing concerns about her role in removing the presidential age limit in 2017 when she was the Speaker of Parliament.
‘Mama Kadaga removed the age limit, now we’re stuck with an 80-year-old candidate. She’s quick to switch sides, saying Museveni’s bad when he opposed her on the NRM CEC post, but now she’s all about him. To me, she’s a hypocrite and a problem for Busoga,’ Mr Kaswabuli said.
Jinja City Deputy Mayor Fazira Kawuma, however, said : ‘The defeat of Ms Kadaga is no longer an issue. In fact, it has turned into an opportunity for President Museveni because she is openly doubling her efforts in canvassing for him votes in the region.’
Ms Kawuma, who went through unopposed on the seat of Female Persons with Disabilities Councillor at Jinja City, on the NRM ticket, explained: ‘Ms Kadaga has become the chief campaigner for President Museveni in Busoga. ..Ms Kadaga launched a task force to campaign for President Museveni in Busoga, which means that all her genuine supporters are rallying behind President Museveni, overtaking the disagreements that cropped up during the CEC elections,’ she said.
Other voters have also listed numerous promises Mr Museveni’s government has not fulfilled over the years. They said these issues could also influence Mr Museveni’s support in Busoga.
The campaign trail, which will end on November 21, in Jinja City, is seen as an opportunity for Mr Museveni to reassure voters and gain more support. However, some Basoga believe it’s time to evaluate and audit Mr Museveni and his government, especially in delivery of promises made in previous campaigns.
‘We love, vote and support NRM here but it seems the presidential pledges have moved from promises to lies and enticement to keep us in hope resurrecting during the campaign,” said Mr Michael Kanaku, the Buyende District chairperson.
The unfulfilled promises include the tarmacking of the Jinja-Ambercourt-Mbulamuti-Kamuli-Bukungu Road, which covers Jinja, Kamuli and Buyende districts), Iganga-Luuka-Kamuli, Iganga-Mayuge-Bwondha, and Kamuli-Kaliro roads, which are crucial for economic development.
Mr Gonzaga Bukenya Mulira, the People’s Front for Freedom party (PFF) mobiliser in Kamuli , said several people are disappointed with Mr Museveni’s unfulfilled pledges, including the tarmarcking of Ambercourt-Mbulamuti-Kamuli -Bukungu Road since 2001.
‘The road has been on Museveni’s list for over two decades, but it’s still in a deplorable state. It appeared in budgets, but construction hasn’t started,’ he said.
Ms Kadaga added: ‘For three decades I have been campaigning and pushing for the 150 kilometre [Ambercourt-Mbulamuti-Kamuli-Bukungu] road, which will open up the economic corridor….” On November 20, Mr Museveni is expected to visit Kamuli, which is Ms Kadaga’s birthplace, with plans to hold a public rally in Namasagali and launch a large bio-pharmaceutical industrial park.
Other issues
Some voters also noted that the sub-region is also waiting for the operationalisation of the Bukungu- Kaberamaido ferry. Mr Museveni pledged to install a ferry on Lake Kyoga and Bukungu that would open up Busoga to Lango and Teso sub-regions for several activities.
Mr Godfrey Mutyaba, the district vice chairperson, said the government has made several promises to the people of Namutumba, which include the tarmacking of the Busembatia-Ivukula-Nangonde and Namutumba-Butaleja-Nabumali roads.
‘These are not just promises, but commitments that the government made to the people of Namutumba. We are still waiting for the government to fulfil them,’ Mr Mutyaba said. He added: ‘The people of Namutumba are tired of waiting. They want to see action, not just words.’
‘ Mr James Wafula, the vice chairperson of the Bugiri Central Market Fishmongers Association in Bugiri District, said during a presidential campaign rally, in 2021, Mr Museveni pledged to build a new market under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development(USMID) project, but nothing has been done.
‘We have never received any feedback on the President’s pledge, yet NRM members are now asking for our support… but we’ve learnt and know what to do this time around,’he said.
Mr Julius Kayiira Nabambula, the NUP flagbearer for Jinja Southern Division councillor, said President Museveni had failed to resolve the issue of rampant poverty in Busoga.
‘The previous regimes had a better approach to addressing poverty. Busoga had the capacity to provide loans to others, but now we are struggling to make ends meet,’ he said.
Busoga Sub-region has consistently been ranked among the regions with the highest poverty levels in Uganda.
According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) report released in 2021, the poverty levels in the sub-region stand at 14.5 percent, with 1.162 million people living below the poverty line. Busoga has a population of 4.4 million, according to the 2024 Ubos Census report.
Mr Nabambula added that the current government has failed to revive cooperative unions that bring together farmers and fishermen. Meanwhile, Mr Isa Budugo, the chairperson of the Uganda National Association of Sugarcane Growers, expressed disappointment over the government’s failure to fulfil its promises to farmers.
‘The President also promised to buy Mayuga Sugar factory for farmers, but this promise has not been fulfilled,”he said. Mr Budugo, who is also a candidate on independent ticket for Kagoma North MP in Jinja District, said the President promised vehicles to chairpersons of sugarcane farmers’ groups, 22 tractors for Busoga districts, and a Shs145b revolving fund for fertilisers but none have been delivered.
Mr Budugo added: ‘The sugarcane industry is struggling because the government has not fulfilled its promises. The farmers are not getting the support they need, and as a result, the production of sugarcane has declined, and the purchase prices for sugarcane are still low.”
Farmers continue to suffer from low raw cane prices, which have fluctuated significantly, dropping from Shs240,000 per tonne in December 2023 to Shs125,000 by November 2025.
The NUP flagbearer for Bugabula South Constituency, Pastor Andrew Muwanguzi, said the President pledged to remove soldiers on lakes but this has not been fulfilled.
In 2017, President Museveni launched the Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU) under the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) to safeguard water bodies.
The unit’s primary objective is to curb illegal fishing practices, including the use of prohibited gear and the catching of undersized fish, thereby promoting sustainable fishing and protecting aquatic resources.
Mr Ibrahim Ndhoga, the Bugweri District chairperson candidate on the FDC ticket, said Mr Museveni’s promise to construct a stadium for Busoga Sub-region in memory of the late Ugandan goalkeeper, Abel Dhaira, remains unfulfilled. Dhaira succumbed to cancer in 2016.
He also expressed concern over the closure of Busoga University despite the sub-region’s need for a public university.
”Busoga University was closed nine years ago, and it has not been reopened. This is a big challenge for the people of Busoga, who have to travel to other parts of the country to access university education.
The President should fulfil his promise and reopen the university,” Mr Ndhoga said. Busoga University was shut down by the National Council for Higher Education in 2017 due to irregularities, including employing unqualified staff, and awarding fake degrees to more than 1,000 students.
Mr Mathias Mutatyama, the Busoga Kingdom representative in Busoga’s parliament (Lukiiko), urged the government to return the assets that belong to the institution, just as it has done with other cultural institutions.
He said these assets include land hosting the sub-counties in the 11 chiefdoms of Busoga. These sub-counties include Budondo, Butagaya, Busedde, Kagoma and Buyengo.
‘The assets remain in government hands. We have been waiting for far too long, and it’s time for action… If we had control of our assets, we could generate income and develop our region. But as it stands, we are unable to do so,” he said.