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.
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