The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party presidential candidate, Mr Museveni, will today begin his campaign tour of the Rwenzori Sub-region before proceeding to the Tooro Sub-region, collectively referred to by the Electoral Commission (EC) as the Mid-Western region. The area comprises 10 districts and Fort Portal City.
The incumbent is expected to launch his campaigns in Kasese District today before proceeding to Bunyangabu later in the day.
Tomorrow, he will campaign in Bundibugyo and Ntoroko, concluding his Rwenzori tour. On Saturday, Mr Museveni will officially begin his Tooro Sub-region campaigns in Kitagwenda, Kabarole, and Fort Portal City.
While Mr Museveni received the most votes in the 2021 presidential race in Rwenzori, residents said several long-standing issues, especially land disputes, poor state of roads, hospitals and schools, persist.
In Bundibugyo District, the district councillor representing Ngamba Sub-county, Mr Moses Bagambe, said the tarmacking of the Ntandi-Kikyo-Bundibugyo Town Road, a mountainous route that connects cocoa and coffee farmers to markets, needs urgent attention.
‘We want the President himself to tell us when this road will be constructed,’ Mr Bagambe said.
The Bughendera County MP, Mr Moses Kiiza Acrobert (NRM), emphasised the need for the government to construct more classrooms and staff quarters in hard-to-reach schools.
He argued that quality education cannot be delivered when teachers live in dilapidated structures, and pupils study under trees.
‘A polytechnic here would greatly transform the human capital of this area,’ Mr Kiiza said.
Residents also want Mr Museveni to revamp Bundibugyo Main Hospital and to address the absence of a standard market in Bundibugyo Town Council.
Medical staff and patients are hoping for a clear renovation plan, while vendors working in cramped and unsanitary conditions demand action on constructing a modern market facility.
Land wrangles in Kasese
In Kasese District, residents from Kilembe Sub-county and Bulembia Division want Mr Museveni to intervene and resolve a long-standing land dispute affecting more than 40,000 people as the government moves to revive Kilembe Mines.
Mr Kule Walyuba, the chairperson of the Kilembe Natives Voice, said the problem dates back to 1954 when colonial authorities leased over 3,000 hectares to Kilembe Mines Ltd.
‘In 1954, the colonial administration leased our land to Kilembe Mines Ltd. Titles were granted under colonial law, and compensation was not fully made to affected individuals. After independence in 1962, the new government upheld these titles, effectively maintaining foreign occupation of our land,’ he said.
Mr Walyuba noted that without titles, residents cannot access credit or carry out long term economic activities, and fears have heightened following the handover of Kilembe Mines Ltd to Sarai Group through the Uganda National Mining Company (UNMC).
Another land-related issue is that of the Banyabindi community , where locals were evicted from their ancestral land to pave the way for the creation of Queen Elizabeth National Park in 1952. Since that time, the affected population, now estimated at more than 21,116 households, has remained landless, despite several government pledges to address their plight.
In Ntoroko District, leaders and residents said critical issues have persisted for more than a decade, particularly infrastructural delays and the plight of flood-displaced households.
Kanara Town Council chairperson David Kor said the long-awaited tarmacking of the 50-kilometre Karugutu-Ntoroko Road is a key priority.
‘The road was earmarked in 2014, but 10 years later, nothing has been done. During the rainy season, vehicles heading to DR Congo get stuck, paralysing transport,’ he said.
According to the draft NRM manifesto for 2026-2031, the Karugutu-Ntoroko Road is currently under procurement.
Mr Kor added that locals displaced by Lake Albert floods in 2019 are still living in camps, despite multiple government promises.
‘The government committed to resettle these families, but to date nothing has materialised,’ he stated.
Previous poll results
In the three districts of Rwenzori Sub-region, Mr Museveni won with a total of 156,147 votes (Kasese: 109,275 votes; Ntoroko: 19,670 votes; and Bundibugyo: 27,202 votes) in the 2021 General Election.
The National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine), who came second, polled a total of 119,328 votes in the three districts.