This week, the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party presidential candidate, Mr Yoweri Museveni, headed to West Nile, one of the poorest sub-regions in the country, for his re-election campaign. President Museveni is currently traversing the West Nile, a region NRM snatched from the Opposition in the 2011 polls. The West Nile Sub-region has an estimated population of 3.3 million according to 2024 Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) data, and hosts around 736,892 refugees in the districts of Adjumani and Arua. In this sub-region, approximately 60 percent of young people are neither in employment, education, nor training.
A former Madi-Okollo Member of Parliament, who is seeking another term in office, Mr Martin Drito Andi, explained that the area was highly contested and had long been won by the Opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) until 2011, when he won the parliamentary seat on the NRM ticket. He said the region, bordering South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, previously chose the Opposition as a protest vote because of rampant poverty. Mr Drito added that this compelled the government to introduce poverty alleviation programmes.
‘We were then able to get some consideration, for example, Madi-Okollo District was granted. We then got bridges on Ora river, so the area getting to NRM was beneficial to us,’ he said. The government has also introduced initiatives like Emyooga and the Parish Development Model (PDM), which aim to mobilise poor households to engage in income-generating activities and sustainable agriculture for food security.
Poverty in West Nile
However, despite the NRM government’s effort, poverty still continues to afflict the sub-region. From the dusty streets of Arua Town to the rural villages of Moyo, Adjumani, Obongi, Koboko, Maracha, Nebbi, Pakwach, Terogo, Yumbe, Zombo, and Madi-Okollo, the struggle to make ends meet is a daily reality for millions. Many families live on meagre incomes, lacking access to necessities like clean water, healthcare, and education. The statistics are stark. West Nile’s poverty rates are among the highest in the country, with many households living below the poverty line. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) census report, indicates that West Nile has 1.8 million working-age individuals.
However, about 574,590 are employed, while 106,341 are unemployed, with 372,612 of those being youth. According to the 2023/2024 Uganda National Household Survey released by Ubos, despite the national poverty rate declining from 20.3 percent in 2019/2020 to 16.1 percent, West Nile remained among the regions with the highest poverty rates, with approximately 730,000 people affected. Mr Drito, attributes the pervasive poverty in Madi-Okollo and West Nile as a whole to the lingering effects of colonial-era cash crops, which are no longer viable sources of sustainable income for the region. ‘We must move away from the colonial legacy of cash crops like tobacco and cotton that were imposed on us, because these are crops that have not improved the livelihoods of our people.’
Former Obongi County MP, who is also the Forum for Democratic Change Deputy Party President for Northern Uganda, Mr Hassan Kaps Fungaro, said despite efforts to reduce poverty, progress remains hindered by gaps in leadership, strategy, resource utilisation, mobilisation, and a lack of unified resolve among the people. Mr Fungaro accused the NRM government of employing bad methods to combat poverty in the region, arguing that these tactics are instead contributing to the persistence of poverty in West Nile. ‘President Museveni and his NRM government have been employing a deceptive strategy. They visit villages, identify hard-working individuals such as successful farmers, and dub them ‘model farmers’, creating a false impression that they were the driving force behind the person’s achievements.
In reality, these individuals have worked tirelessly on their own initiatives, utilising their own resources and expertise. By showcasing these individuals as examples, the government aims to inspire others, yet it fails to acknowledge the self-driven efforts that ultimately led to their success,’ he said. Mr Fungaro also accuses the local government technical staff of following what he termed as flawed ruling regime’s ideologies, rather than utilising their public administration skills to enable citizens develop.
‘Technical personnel, including chief administrative officers, lack the necessary ideological framework to effectively address our problems. Instead, they operate subjectively, guided by the teachings from Kyankwanzi, and consistently praise NRM without critically examining or speaking out against its shortcomings, thereby failing to provide meaningful redress.’ He added, ‘A review of Obongi’s budget over the past four to five years reveals a concerning trend; a significant decline from Shs42 billion to around Shs16 billion. This consistent reduction in funding year after year points to a deeper issue of leadership gaps.’
What candidates promise
Mr Fungaro said if FDC, which has fielded Nathan Nandala-Mafabi as its presidential candidate, is entrusted with leadership, it will establish a Uganda-Sudan regional market to promote cross-border trade that he added would reduce poverty in the sub-region. ‘There was a market in Juba where food items like tomatoes were sold, and people from our region benefited by selling there and improving their lives without government intervention. We believe that if there’s a market, people will find ways to utilise it. Therefore, our government will focus on creating access to markets, as that’s the key to economic growth,’ he said. Gen Gregory Mugisha Muntu, the Alliance for National Transformation presidential flagbearer, asserts that under his leadership, he will establish a supervisory system that tracks issues affecting communities at the grassroots level, including poverty alleviation initiatives.
This way, Gen Muntu added, they will be able to tackle corruption and poverty across regions. ‘With honest political leaders at the helm, they will combat corruption and provide effective oversight. This involves having good leaders at the national level who closely supervise activities at all levels, from districts to sub-counties and parishes,’ he said. Gen Muntu said for West Nile specifically, he aims to improve road networks and invest in extension services to better equip local farmers. ‘For West Nile, our priority will be investing in agriculture and education, focusing on raising educational standards and vocational training for graduates,’ he said. Gen Muntu added: ‘By getting these investments right, poverty can be effectively addressed.
After all, countries with limited natural resources have achieved prosperity through healthy, well-educated, and productive populations, demonstrating that investing in human capacity is a key driver of wealth creation.’ Mr Drito said under the NRM government, they aim to promote the growth of cash crops in the sub-region, which have proven to be more lucrative than traditional colonial-era cash crops such as tobacco. ‘From our economic research, three cash crops like coffee, cocoa, and macadamia are effective in poverty eradication, and looking at our soil and rainfall patterns, we shall be liaising with the Ministry of Agriculture in sourcing seedlings for distribution in the upper Madi constituency. I have been talking to a few business associates who already have a market for these products, he said.
He added that Madi-Okollo possesses significant mineral deposits, which the government plans to survey and exploit in the near future, to utilise these resources to benefit the people of West Nile ‘Madi-Okollo County has a history of mineral exploitation, with deposits of limestone and traces of gold. There is also evidence of oil reserves, with oil flowing from Mwanyiribu through parts of Okollo towards Rhino Camp,’ he said. Mr Drito added: ‘To harness these resources effectively, a physical survey will be conducted to map the constituency’s mineral wealth. This will enable responsible exploitation, creating jobs, attracting investors, improving road infrastructure, and driving development in the mining sector, ultimately benefiting the local population.
Museveni’s campaign launch
While he launched his campaigns in West Nile on October 7, President Museveni said the NRM government is committed to alleviating poverty in West Nile through the Parish Development Model, among other government programmes.
Ms Evelyn Anite, who is leading Museveni’s re-election campaign in West Nile, said the President has big plans for the people of West Nile.
The NRM leader seeks to create new fund streams, targeting specific groups such as religious and cultural leaders, unemployed university graduates, and fishermen. ‘With football, you have players and spectators, but in wealth creation, I don’t want spectators. Everybody must be a player,’ he said, drawing applause.
President Museveni also addressed concerns from fishing communities, explaining the government’s plans to reorganise and modernise the fisheries sector.
He showed videos of his fish ponds in Lango Sub-region, demonstrating the potential of aquaculture as an alternative to wild fishing.
‘From a fish pond of 20 by 50 metres, my people are earning Shs100m. The government can build such ponds for you so that you get out of the wetlands,’ he said.
The President further proposed a special Fisheries Development Fund to support the industry’s modernisation and reduce conflicts between enforcement units and local communities.