National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, has pledged to push for laws that guarantee fair pay for factory and plantation workers, saying many labourers across Buikwe District continue to endure severe exploitation.
Addressing his first rally at Butema Playground in Njeru Municipality on November 26, Kyagulanyi said a large section of residents in the district work in factories and sugarcane plantations but earn wages too low to sustain their families, some reportedly as little as Shs3,000 a day.
‘In the new Uganda we are promising, exploitation of workers will not be tolerated. All workers at all levels will be earning salaries commensurate to their sweat,’ he said.
Kyagulanyi also criticised government for closing the 52 landing sites surrounding Buikwe District, saying communities had been unfairly denied access to their livelihoods on grounds of illegal fishing.
‘I don’t condone illegal fishing, but the stories we are getting are that the soldiers who were deployed on the lake are the ones engaging in illegal fishing. If this is the case, traditional fishermen will take back the responsibility of managing their lake when a new government comes in,’ he said.
The NUP candidate further accused police of deliberately disrupting his campaign trail by diverting his convoy through village routes, causing delays that make him arrive at venues past the official campaigning time.
Kyagulanyi entered Buikwe through Kayunga Road, but at the Nile trading centre junction, police diverted his motorcade toward Mukono-Katosi Road.
‘Today I am happy with the huge number of people who are here because no one was paid to come or promised to get a T-shirt, but your presence is testament that you know what you want,’ he told supporters.
Kyagulanyi addressed two more rallies-one at Kasoga Primary School in Lugazi Municipality and another at Buwooya Grounds in Buikwe South Constituency.
Ms Faridah Nabatanzi, the NUP flag bearer for Buikwe Woman MP, thanked residents for turning up in large numbers to welcome the party’s leadership.
As seen earlier in Mukono on Tuesday, police fired teargas and live bullets in several trading centres to stop processions as Kyagulanyi’s motorcade moved through the district.
How Buikwe voted in the 2021 presidential elections
Robert Kyagulanyi (NUP) – 81,852 votes (65.08%)
Yoweri Museveni (NRM) – 40,900 votes (32.52%)
Henry Tumukunde (Ind) – 206 votes (0.16%)
Patrick Amuriat (FDC) – 1,039 votes (0.83%)
Norbert Mao (DP) – 388 votes (0.31%)
John Katumba – 382 votes (0.30%)
Gregory Mugisha Muntu (ANT) – 259 votes (0.21%)
Nancy Kalembe (Ind) – 314 votes (0.25%)
Joseph Kabuleta (Ind) – 219 votes (0.17%)
Fred Mwesigwa (Ind) – 152 votes (0.12%)
Willy Mayambala (Ind) – 68 votes (0.05%)