President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni yesterday met local leaders from Acholi and Adjumani at Awich PTC in Laroo Pece Division, Gulu City, where he equipped them with clear messages of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) which they should pass to the communities they lead.
The clear messages centred on the NRM’s seven contributions to Uganda over the last 40 years.
The President said the meeting was aimed at empowering grassroots leaders to confidently answer the questions many Ugandans have about poverty eradication, job creation and national development.
“I am equipping you with what to tell the people you lead because they have questions in their heads. How do we get out of poverty? Where do jobs come from?” President Museveni said.
He explained that the engagement was a continuation of the parish conferences and noted that he authored a booklet detailing the seven contributions the NRM has put on the house of Uganda over the last four decades.
President Museveni outlined the contributions as peace, development, wealth creation, job creation, market integration and regional integration, among others.
He said the first and most fundamental contribution of the NRM is peace, noting that Uganda’s past instability was caused by bad politics rooted in sectarianism, tribalism and religious divisions, which he described as fake politics that do not address people’s real needs.
“Because we rejected sectarian politics and embraced patriotism and Pan-Africanism, we were able to build a national party and strong national institutions such as the army and police. These stable institutions made unity and development possible,” he said.
The President added that peace has enabled Uganda to achieve surplus production in many sectors through market integration, unlike in the 1960s when the country was divided by narrow politics.
On development, President Museveni cited visible infrastructure improvements, including tarmac roads linking Adjumani, Gulu and other parts of the country, electricity expansion, railways and other critical infrastructure.
On wealth creation, the President reiterated the NRM’s four-acre model as a practical solution for families with small land holdings. Under the model, farmers are advised to grow coffee on the first acre, fruits on the second, pasture for dairy cattle on the third, and food crops for the family on the fourth acre, alongside poultry, piggery for non-Muslims, and fish farming for those near wetlands.
“If you do these activities with calculation — ekibaaro or cuura — you cannot go wrong,” he said, adding that government plans are underway to promote valley fish ponds, citing a successful pilot in Limoto.
President Museveni emphasised that the NRM is a party of enlightenment that tells people the truth, stressing that irrigation is a critical pillar of agricultural modernisation.
He cited government plantations in Bushenyi where irrigation and fertilisers have enabled yields of up to 53 tonnes of bananas, far higher than surrounding farms.
Addressing livestock restocking, the President acknowledged that wars and cattle rustling devastated animal populations in Acholi, Lango and Teso. He explained that following extensive consultations, affected communities agreed to monetary compensation instead of livestock, and arrangements are underway to facilitate restocking.
On job creation, President Museveni said employment is mainly generated through key sectors such as commercial agriculture and industrialisation through factories, urging leaders to explain this clearly to the people.
He also highlighted regional integration as another major contribution, warning against leaders who ignore Africa’s market potential.
“If you don’t talk about Africa and its market, what is the future of our grandchildren?” he asked.
The President urged NRM leaders to practice what they preach and lead by example, cautioning against remaining in “chan chan” (poverty) and encouraging them to build “lonyo” (wealth) within their families.
“It is not good for leaders to be poor. Every NRM leader must work hard to be prosperous and show the people the way,” he said.
To support grassroots mobilisation, President Museveni pledged to provide new bicycles to LCI leaders to ease their movement, while LC III leaders will be given motorcycles.
The NRM Second National Vice Chairperson (Female) and Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Anita Annet Among, thanked the President for empowering grassroots leaders, noting that it was the first time he had directly engaged Local Council leaders and enabled them to freely traverse their communities to mobilise support.
She said local leaders were ready to mobilise votes for President Museveni in their respective areas without fail.
Meanwhile, the NRM Vice Chairperson for Northern Uganda, Rt. Hon. Hamson Obua, assured the President of an overwhelming victory, saying the campaign strategy had shifted to grassroots mobilisation.
He said Northern Uganda would use what he termed the “factor tree” approach, where leaders mobilise voters collectively rather than individually, ensuring broad-based support for President Museveni and the NRM.
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