President Museveni has blamed poor road conditions and low safe water coverage in Kassanda District on opposition leadership, urging residents to vote for the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) in the 2026 general election.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Bukuya Subcounty on December 17, 2025, Museveni cited figures showing that only 34% of Kassanda’s 569 villages have access to safe water.
‘About 66% of our people have no safe water in Kassanda District. I have now learnt that you people made a mistake to elect opposition leaders. Don’t elect the opposition again,’ he told residents ahead of next year’s election.
Museveni, who has been in power since 1986 and seeks another five-year term in the January 15, 2026 vote, also criticised local MPs and top district officials for failing to raise road maintenance concerns with the central government.
‘For the roads funds, where each district gets at least Shs1 billion annually, nobody among the District leaders raised the matter about the need for additional funding, the roads remain impassable. If the roads maintenance required additional funding, the government would have found a solution for some of the roads,’ he said.
The Ugandan leader highlighted that Kassanda, unlike other districts, has no direct tarmac road but assured residents that the Myanzi-Kassanda-Bukuya-Kiboga Road will be upgraded, despite delays.
‘The people that you have been sending to Parliament have been hindering progress for some of the projects. The guerrilla fighters know the best way of winning a war. You don’t hurriedly attack without planning. This has been the major problem with some of these members of Parliament,’ Museveni observed.
The president also outlined government plans to extend electricity from the district headquarters to sub-counties, covering artisan miners in Bukuya and other areas.
He promised to upgrade schools and health units while implementing the Parish Development Model (PDM) to promote household wealth creation.
‘Development is for all while wealth is for individuals. The Parish Development Model is supposed to facilitate the families to access wealth at household level. We shall ensure that all our people engage in wealth creation programs for better livelihoods,’ he said, warning that those who misappropriate PDM funds are ‘cursed.’
Kassanda District NRM Chairperson Dr Michael Bukenya raised concerns over electricity distribution and land disputes affecting residents, including artisan miners, calling for special government attention.
Residents described ongoing land conflicts with Caleb Ssendagire from Kitongo Village telling Monitor that: ‘We have experienced attacks from people that claim to own this land. Several homesteads have been attacked by goons and property destroyed. We have moved to different offices, seeking help with less success.’
Another resident, Abdul Sseninde, added that threats continued despite prior government interventions through a meeting by lands minister Judith Nabakooba in 2024.
The 2024 census put Kassanda’s population at 314,008, with the updated voter register showing 155,739 voters in 2025, up from 134,798 in 2021.
In the 2021 election, Museveni secured 37,265 votes (44.7%) while his closest challenger Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, alias Bobi Wine, won 44,990 votes (53.96%) in the district.