Mubende — President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has said the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) lost about 2.7 million votes in the Buganda sub-region during the last general election, attributing the loss to failures in protecting the party’s votes rather than a shift in popular support.
Speaking at Kasambya Town Council in Mubende District, where he launched the NRM’s campaign in Buganda despite heavy rain, President Museveni said vote theft has remained a persistent challenge in Uganda’s electoral history.
“In the last election, the NRM lost about 2.7 million votes in Buganda. That loss came from failure to adequately protect our votes,” Museveni said. “Since 1962, vote theft has been a problem in our politics. The lesson is vigilance.”
He urged NRM supporters to actively participate in the electoral process, calling on them to turn up in large numbers, cast their ballots and safeguard the vote. “Every supporter must turn up, vote and protect the vote so that no one interferes with the people’s decision,” the President said.
President Museveni dismissed claims that Buganda had overwhelmingly supported the opposition in the previous elections, describing such assertions as false and the result of electoral malpractice.
He said the government has since strengthened electoral systems by introducing biometric verification, including fingerprint confirmation for every voter, to curb vote rigging.
“The process has now been strengthened through biometric systems to prevent manipulation,” he said. “This time, no one will steal our votes in Buganda. Make sure you go out and vote.”
While presenting the NRM Manifesto for 2026–2031, Museveni reiterated that peace remains the party’s foremost achievement, noting that Uganda had previously been destabilised by sectarian politics based on religion and tribe.
“Peace is our first and most important contribution. No one will be allowed to destabilise the peace we currently enjoy,” he said.
On development, the President said the NRM’s second major contribution lies in investments in economic and social infrastructure, including roads, electricity and other productive sectors. He cautioned that overemphasis on salary increments without productivity can slow national development.
“Mubende has already made progress, and the projects that are not yet complete will be implemented,” Museveni pledged.
He also reiterated government plans to establish a government primary school in every parish and a government secondary school in every sub-county, and promised to set up a public university in the area, noting that the government intends to locate public universities in districts that existed during the colonial period.
Wealth creation, Museveni said, is the NRM’s third core pillar. He outlined the four-acre model for small-scale farmers, which includes coffee, fruits, pasture for animals, food crops for families, poultry and fish farming, while those with larger land holdings can engage in ranching, tea and cotton growing.
On employment, the President said jobs are mainly generated through commercial agriculture, industry, services and ICT, and assured residents that no one would be chased off their land.
