President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) presidential candidate, today kicks off his 2026 election campaigns in Luwero District.
Luwero, the epicenter of the 1981–1986 National Resistance Army (NRA) war that brought Museveni to power, has traditionally marked the start of his campaigns in recognition of its historical significance.
The first rally was held at Bukalasa Agricultural College playgrounds in Wobulenzi Town Council, where hundreds of NRM supporters begun gathering ahead of Museveni’s expected arrival at midday.
Roads leading to the campaign grounds were decorated with Museveni’s posters, while drummers and performers lined the streets, singing in praise of the President as supporters streamed in.
The President attributed the persistent service delivery gaps in Luwero district to the residents’ decision to overwhelmingly vote for the opposition during the 2021 general elections.
In those elections, Luwero, a district historically tied to the National Resistance Army (NRA) liberation struggle, delivered a stinging rejection of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM). Museveni managed only 41,166 votes (27.94 per cent), while his main rival, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, polled 103,782 votes (70.45 per cent). The NRM also lost all four parliamentary seats, along with several local government positions.
Today, Museveni returned to Luwero for campaigns, holding a rally at the Bukalasa Agricultural College playgrounds in Wobulenzi Town Council. He reminded residents of Luwero’s symbolic role in the 1981-1986 NRA war that ushered him into power, saying the district had always been the starting point for his campaigns in recognition of its historic support.
Expectations were high that Museveni would use the rally to address long-standing demands from residents, including the upgrade of key roads, the construction of a pineapple fruit factory, and the elevation of Luwero Town to municipality status.
The district is also struggling with rampant land evictions, ranking among the top in Uganda for cases of criminal trespass and malicious property damage linked to land conflicts.
However, in his speech, Museveni accused the residents of committing suicide by electing opposition leaders such as Woman MP Brenda Nabukenya and the LCV chairperson, whom he said lacked the capacity to push for services or confront the rising wave of criminality in the district.
Museveni also linked the rampant land grabbing to what he termed “weak opposition leaders,” saying they had failed to defend residents from illegal evictions. He urged voters to return to the NRM fold in 2026 if they wanted lasting solutions.
He explained that the government’s long-term plan is to buy off landlords and distribute land to tenants, but admitted that the programme may take time due to limited resources. He promised that revenues from the country’s oil sector, expected soon, would boost the government’s capacity to resolve such land disputes. In addition, Museveni pledged to crack down on the theft of drugs and Parish Development Model funds if re-elected in 2026.
The President also used the rally to settle internal party disputes, persuading Cissy Mulondo, who lost the NRM primaries for the Luwero Woman MP seat, to step aside in favour of the official flag-bearer, Agnes Kirabo. This, he said, would present a united front against incumbent NUP MP Brenda Nabukenya.
But Nabukenya quickly fired back, accusing Museveni of scapegoating instead of accounting for his nearly four decades in power.
She argued that the district had supported NRM leaders in the past, including Alhajj Abdul Nadduli, the late Edward Khiddu Makubuya, and the late Wilberforce Kisamba Mugerwa, yet little had changed. She further alleged that some of the land-grabbing crises facing the area are being fuelled by government officials themselves.
Museveni is scheduled to continue his campaign trail on Wednesday in Amolatar district as part of his early mobilisation efforts ahead of the 2026 general elections.
