‘Jinja makes yet another statement this early! Yes, this is not just any other election, it is a revolution,’ read a post by Mr Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, alias Bobi Wine, on his X social media handle shortly after launching his campaign rallies for the 2026 General Election from Jinja City, Busoga Sub-region, yesterday.
The National Unity Platform (NUP) party presidential candidate drew multitudes of crowds, paralysing Jinja City for the better part of the day. Speaking at Kagoma Town Council in Jinja District, Mr Kyagulanyi told thousands of enthusiastic supporters that a NUP-led government would prioritise the economic empowerment of ordinary citizens, especially those in historically marginalised regions like Busoga. He said the area had suffered decades of exploitation and government neglect.
He noted that Busoga is one of the country’s leading regions in sugarcane farming, yet farmers are consistently paid low prices for their produce, leaving them trapped in poverty. He accused the government of letting sugar millers exploit farmers by offering them low prices for their produce. ‘I will help you get out of economic slavery when we take power,’ Mr Kyagulanyi declared. ‘You have resources, you work hard, but you remain poor. That must change. We can work this out together,’ he said. Mr Kyagulanyi’s manifesto centred around 11 key priorities. He promised to create 10 million jobs, end corruption and establish constitutionalism and the rule of law. The jobs, he said, would leverage tourism at 25.3 percent, manufacturing at 60 percent, as well as sports and creative economy at 14.7 percent.
The other areas included reducing government expenditure by cutting down the number of administrative units, consolidating national unity and rehabilitating war-torn areas. Mr Kyagulanyi also talked about creating equal access to health, education, water, energy, and public infrastructure. On education, he promised to establish school feeding programmes as well as boost agriculture to ensure food security. He also condemned the government’s aggressive deployment of security forces on water bodies, saying fishermen have been pushed off the lakes-robbing communities of their primary source of income. ‘This region has fertile land and abundant water bodies, but people are starving. It’s not a lack of resources, it’s poor leadership and exploitation,’ he said.
Mr Kyagulanyi also raised concerns over the state of political freedoms in parts of Busoga, specifically where he claimed residents face intimidation for supporting Opposition parties. Mr Kyagulanyi promised that if elected, his government would restore the political and civil rights of all Ugandans, regardless of their affiliations. ‘You deserve a government that listens, not one that silences you,’ he said. Mr Kyagulanyi added that Waiswa Mufumbiro, a ‘son of the soil’ who should have welcomed them to Busoga, is currently in prison. Mr Waiswa, who plans to contest for a parliamentary seat in Nakawa Division, Kampala, was arrested alongside more than a dozen other NUP supporters. They are accused of taking part in an unauthorised meeting, which authorities say was meant to train participants in ‘military exercises, movements and evolutions,’ an offence under Section 45(1)
(b) of the Penal Code Act.
Throughout his address, Mr Kyagulanyi called on the people of Busoga to rise above fear and vote for leadership that prioritises their dignity, rights, and economic wellbeing. He emphasised that under NUP, development would not be reserved for a select few but distributed fairly across all regions. The musician-cum politician also promised to stop land grabbing and guarantee land rights. On governance, Mr Kyagulanyi focused on empowering regional and local governments, while strengthening international ties and positioning the diaspora as a strategic asset to his government. The launch in Kagoma marks the beginning of a nationwide campaign trail that Kyagulanyi says will focus on grassroots communities and building a new Uganda from the bottom up.
Bobi paralyses Jinja
Excitement and anticipation gripped parts of eastern Uganda as hundreds of enthusiastic supporters of the National Unity Platform (NUP) gathered along the Jinja-Kamuli highway to welcome party president Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine. The crowd, largely made up of youth, women, and boda boda riders, braved the scorching sun and lined the roadside hours before Kyagulanyi’s expected arrival, waving party flags and chanting slogans of change. The crowds started swelling along Kayunga Road, the route that Mr Kyagulanyi used to access Jinja from Kampala. Many wore red berets and NUP-branded attire as a show of solidarity and unwavering loyalty to the Opposition leader.
The atmosphere was electric, with drums, vuvuzelas, and music adding to the growing anticipation. During the last election cycle, which was a virtual one due to movement restrictions associated with Covid-19, over 50 people were killed in shootings and suffocation. This was after spontaneous riots engulfed Kampala City and major urban centres, following the violent arrest of Mr Kyagulanyi in Luuka, one of the districts in the Busoga region, during his campaigns there. Yesterday, the heavily deployed security personnel remained unobtrusive, though they diverted some of the supporters when they reached Jinja Bridge, with some opting to use murram roads to access the campaign rally venue, leaving them covered in dust.