President Yoweri Museveni has attributed persistent divisions among Busoga leaders to the region’s slow development, warning that the conflicts leave ordinary people trapped in poverty.
Speaking at a meeting with National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearers at Iganga Secondary School in Bulamagi Sub-county during the weekend, Museveni said internal disputes were behind the absence of State Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development Persis Namuganza.
‘Because of the divisions in Busoga, even Namuganza is not here, yet she was the one who recommended that this meeting be organized in Iganga. But this infighting is holding back the people from coming out of poverty,’ he said.
Museveni said he personally intervened to reconcile leaders, including First Deputy Prime Minister Rebecca Kadaga and Speaker of Parliament Anita Among, after learning Kadaga had also skipped the event.
‘I called my young sister Kadaga and asked her if she was coming to Iganga. She told me she was not invited. I then called Speaker Anita Among and asked why Kadaga was not invited. She told me all flag bearers were invited,’ Museveni explained.
When contacted again, Kadaga reportedly questioned the invitation process.
‘She asked me, ‘Did those people invite me on radio or what?’ That shows the confusion caused by lack of unity,’ he said.
The President warned that leadership conflicts mainly harm the poor. ‘The most suffering people are the poor. When leaders are fighting, they are in cars and good houses, but the poor suffer. Someone can even die because of poverty,’ he said.
Calling for humility and unity, Museveni stressed that leadership conflicts undermine development efforts.
‘I ask you to be humble. If I was not humble, I would not have managed Uganda. Leaders must work together so that our people can come out of poverty,’ he added.
Busoga continues to be one of Uganda’s poorest sub-regions, with poverty levels above the national average.
According to the Uganda National Household Survey 2023/24, about 840,700 people in Busoga live below the absolute poverty line, representing a poverty rate of 18.9 percent and accounting for 12 percent of all poor people in Uganda.
Observers say political infighting in Busoga, particularly involving Namuganza, Kadaga, and Among, has undermined party cohesion and contributed to the region being one of the few where Museveni lost in 2021.
‘In the Busoga sub region, traditionally a stronghold for Museveni, Kyagulanyi led with 437,059 votes against Museveni’s 404,862, giving him a margin of 32,197 votes,’ the President noted.
Internal tensions were heightened by the recent NRM Central Executive Committee election for female vice chairperson, which split local leaders into Kadaga loyalists (‘Team Mama’) and Among supporters (‘Team Mulamu’).
Among won the national contest overwhelmingly with 11,680 votes (92.8 percent) to Kadaga’s 902 votes (7.2 percent) out of 12,582 cast.
Within Busoga itself, Among narrowly led with 499 votes to Kadaga’s 455, reflecting regional divisions.
Despite historically backing Museveni since 1996, Busoga’s shift in voting patterns in 2021 projected the challenges the ruling party faces ahead of the 2026 General Election.