PRESIDENT MUSEVENI PLEDGES TO IMPROVE ROAD CONNECTIVITY IN LANGO SUB-REGION AS CAMPAIGNS INTENSIFY

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the National Chairman and
Presidential flagbearer of the National Resistance Movement (NRM),
has pledged to continue improving the road infrastructure in the Lango
sub-region.

Addressing more than 15,000 NRM leaders gathered at Lango College
in Lira City on Sunday, December 7, 2025, President Museveni
acknowledged concerns raised about regional connectivity and pledged
to review the issue of eastern access to ensure fair and balanced
infrastructure development across the entire sub-region.

“I’m going to study the issue of eastern access, the one you talked
about. That one makes sense,” President Museveni said.

“It makes no sense for someone from Namasale in Amolatar to travel all
the way through Lira, Kamdini, and Karuma when Nakasongola is just
across the water. Somebody from Namasale is only 80 miles away from
Kampala. But when you make them go around, it’s not fair,” President
Museveni said.

He was responding to one of the key issues presented during the
meeting, regarding the sub-region’s low connectivity through tarmac
roads.

The Government Chief Whip, Hon. Denis Hamson Obua, highlighted a
proposal by leaders from Amolatar, Dokolo, and Alebtong districts
seeking additional road upgrades to facilitate trade, tourism, and
regional accessibility.

Hon. Obua requested the President to consider annexing the
Dokolo–Bata–Abako–Aloe Road, a stretch of 42.4 km, to other ongoing
major road projects such as the Dokolo–Namasale Road or the
Lira–Aloe–Alebtong Road.

He argued that the route has strategic importance, such as improving
connectivity, supporting trade, easing access to the newly developing
ferry links at Amolatar and Kaberamaido, and reducing travel time
between Lango, Acholi, and Karamoja. The enhanced connectivity, he
said, would also open up tourism access, especially toward Kidepo
Valley National Park.

“If it pleases you, that road can even continue from Aloe through Apala,
crossing the Rwenkunyu road from Ogul. That would shorten movement
and enhance connectivity by tarmac in the Lango sub-region,” Hon.
Obua said.

Quoting a report by the Equal Opportunities Commission, Hon. Obua
noted that Lango stands at only 5% tarmac road coverage, the lowest
among Uganda’s regions, despite leading in availability of secondary
schools and health centres.

“The people believe a good road is an enabler to wealth creation and
household income, because it provides access to markets,” he said.
The event, one of the largest political mobilization meetings in the
region, aimed at empowering NRM leaders from Local Council One

(LC1) to the district level with information and campaign tools as they
prepare to rally support for President Museveni’s re-election bid and all
NRM flagbearers across Lango.

President Museveni outlined key infrastructure developments
undertaken in Lango and the surrounding region, citing the tarmacking of
major roads such as the Soroti–Lira road, the Rwenkunyu–Masindi
Port–Lira–Apac road, and the ongoing works on the Bobi–Aboke road.
“These have been done through prioritization,” he emphasized.

President Museveni called upon the people of Lango to vote massively
for NRM in the 2026 elections, citing the seven key contributions the
ruling party has made to Uganda, as contained in the NRM manifesto.
These include, among others, peace and security, development of
physical and social infrastructure, wealth creation and poverty reduction,
education expansion, job creation through commercial agriculture,
industry and manufacturing, expanding markets, and regional
integration.

President Museveni reminded the gathering that Lango had suffered
immensely during eras of insecurity—citing the 1970s Idi Amin regime,
the 1979–1985 wars, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency, and
cattle rustling.

“The people of Lango know what lack of peace means,” he said, naming
several individuals he personally knew who were killed by Idi Amin.
He recounted his own opposition to the 1971 coup: “At 5 pm on the
same day Amin took over, we met as a student movement in Bugoloobi

and said we must fight Idi Amin. That night, I left Uganda and joined
others in Tanzania. God has blessed us—there is peace now.”
He warned those “playing around with that peace” to be very careful,
saying Uganda suffered too much to gamble its stability.

President Museveni also said the party will soon discuss the possibility
of paying monthly salaries to select NRM leaders at the grassroots as
part of efforts to strengthen its grassroots mobilisation network ahead of
the 2026 general elections. He said the proposal to introduce a salary
structure for some party leaders needs careful evaluation due to its
financial implications.

“We shall have to discuss and agree on how many NRM leaders could
be paid and why,” he said.
“You can’t afford to pay salaries to all of them because there are many,
in millions. But some, like the administrative secretaries, are already
being supported. After the discussion, we shall agree on who we pay a
salary to per month.”
President Museveni, however, emphasized that salaries alone would not
be a sustainable method of supporting NRM grassroots leaders. Instead,
he proposed wealth creation programs as a more effective and long-term
solution for empowering the majority of the party’s leaders.

He referenced the Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) initiative, which he
launched years ago in the Luweero Triangle together with Gen. Salim
Saleh. Through that program, households of former fighters were initially
supplied with seedlings such as coffee, before the initiative expanded to
the wider population.

“What was done in Luweero can be done for all NRM leaders and then
supporters,” President Museveni emphasized.

In addition, he noted that under the Parish Development Model (PDM),
the government was now adding Shs 15 million per parish specifically for
local leadership, a move he said would further stimulate income
generation and community-driven development.

“The best way is to help families to have their own income to support
themselves and the party, where needed,” he said, drawing contrasts
with historical political formations in Uganda, where he rejected the idea
of compelling party members to pay subscription fees, as was common
in older parties such as the UPC and DP.

“How can you ask poor people to contribute?” he asked. “It should be
the other way round—where the party supports its members, families,
and other Ugandans, who would in turn voluntarily contribute to the party
if they have extra money.”
The NRM’s Second National Vice Chairperson, Rt. Hon. Anita Among
praised President Museveni for restoring peace to the region.
“You would sleep one week on the road because of insecurity caused by
Kony–Lakwena rebels,” she said. “But we want to thank you for
sacrificing yourself and bringing peace.”

Rt. Hon. Among also introduced the massive gathering of 15,000
leaders from the ten districts of Lango—Apac, Kole, Otuke, Alebtong,
Kwania, Oyam, Amolatar, Dokolo, Lira, and Lira City.

She applauded President Museveni for increasing LC1 chairpersons’
pay from Shs 10,000 to Shs 100,000 and requested that they be made

ex-officio members of district councils so they can directly monitor
government programs.

“People keep saying, ‘Don’t vote for President Museveni.’ Do you own
the voters?” She challenged critics.

“This country belongs to all of us. For me, I can assure you, we are
going to deliver.”

Rt. Hon. Among emphasized that candidate Museveni’s trust in Lango, is
reflected through key ministerial appointments from the region, including
the Ministers of Health, Gender, and the Government Chief Whip.

Hon. Obua, who earlier welcomed President Museveni to what he
termed a historic gathering, said no similar meeting of such magnitude
had ever been held in the history of NRM. He urged the President to
replicate the same model in Acholi and West Nile, arguing that such
engagements energize grassroots structures.

Hon. Obua outlined President Museveni’s achievements in the region,
including, establishment of Lira University, the upgrading of Lira Hospital
to a Regional Referral Hospital (RRH), the development of Akii Bua
Stadium, and the progress on four strategic road projects, including the
Dokolo–Kaberamaido–Namasale and Abuke–Bobi roads.

After the Lira meeting, the President is scheduled to resume his
campaign itinerary on Monday, December 8, 2025, with visits to
Kamwenge and Kyegegwa districts.