The Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) presidential candidate, Maj Gen (rtd) Gregory Mugisha Muntu, has urged voters in Rakai and Kyotera districts to support National Unity Platform (NUP) and other Opposition candidates in the 2026 General Election.
He explained that the ANT does not have flagbearers for most positions in the two districts. While campaigning on Sunday in several trading centres, including Kifamba, Kibaale, Rakai, Lwanda, Ssanje, Kalisizo, and Kyotera, Gen Muntu emphasised the importance of unity among Opposition parties to achieve a peaceful change in Uganda’s leadership.
‘Our mission is to achieve genuine change in the governance of this country. I urge you to vote for all capable Opposition candidates who can stand firm against the regime,’ he told cheering crowds.
Among the NUP candidates he endorsed were Grace Nalubega (Rakai District Woman MP), Rose Fortunate Nantongo (Kyotera District Woman MP), Saddam Kiggundu (Rakai Town Councilor), Geoffrey Lutaaya (Kakuuto County MP), and John Paul Mpalanyi (Kyotera County MP).
He also threw his support behind Independent candidate Alexander Mackay Muhinda for the Rakai District Chairperson seat, describing him as ‘a strong voice for the Opposition.’ Rakai and Kyotera, both largely rural and agrarian, continue to struggle with poor infrastructure, low incomes, limited access to healthcare, and frequent water shortages.
‘Imagine, President Museveni has promised to tarmac these roads for nearly 40 years yet look at their state,’ Gen Muntu said.
He pledged to prioritise public service reform if elected, with a particular focus on improving the welfare of teachers and local government employees.
‘The least-paid government worker should earn at least Shs2.5 million, according to findings from one of the government’s own research institutions. It’s shameful that the state cannot fulfil such recommendations,’ he said.
Gen Muntu questioned why Ugandans continue to vote for a leader who has been in power for nearly four decades. ‘I declined a ministerial post when Museveni replaced me as army commander. Even Dr Kizza Besigye, who once stood by him, is now in prison. What makes you think things will change under the same leadership?’ he asked. He said suppression of Opposition voices and intimidation of supporters of Opposition parties reflected what he called a ‘new form of imperialism’ within the ruling establishment.
2021 polls
In the 2021 presidential elections, President Museveni received 25,598 votes in Kyotera District, representing 33.78 percent of the 124,872 total votes cast. The National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi, got 49,132 votes (64.84 percent), while Gen Muntu managed 151 votes (0.20 percent).
In Rakai District, Mr Museveni secured 47,288 votes (57.83 percent), Kyagulanyi received 33,267 votes (40.69 percent), and Gen Muntu got 232 votes (0.28 percent).