Africa-Press – Uganda. President Museveni has pledged major investments in road infrastructure, electricity, water, and health services for Sembabule District as he concluded his campaign trail in the Greater Masaka sub-region.
President Museveni made the commitments on Tuesday,while addressing a massive campaign rally in Sembabule that drew thousands of supporters despite heavy rainfall.
Focusing on economic infrastructure, the President highlighted progress already made in road construction, saying it had transformed Sembabule from a once-remote area into a connected production zone.
“When you come to the issue of roads, Sembabule was very far. But the NRM extended the tarmac road from Mpigi–Kibibi–Gombe–Kayenje–Mpenja–Kanoni–Kabulasoke–Maddu up to Sembabule, and through to Villa Maria, connecting to Masaka,” he said.
He assured residents that government plans include upgrading the Sembabule–Mateete–Mbiriizi road, a pledge that drew loud applause from supporters.
The President also announced ongoing works on the historic Lusalira–Kasambya–Kabamba–Nkongi–Makoore–Rubejere–Ntuusi–Sembabule road, which he said he once used during the guerrilla war against the Obote regime.
“They have started working on it. Later, we also want the road from Ntuusi to Nyabitanga and Rushere worked on, and another road from Mateete to Kyabakuza. All these are part of our road plans,” he said.
Turning to peace, President Museveni said Uganda had been ungovernable before the NRM came to power due to sectarian politics based on religion and ethnicity.
“We abandoned that politics and said everyone is important according to what they do, not what they are. That approach enabled us to build a national party and strong national institutions, including a strong army and judiciary, which have kept Uganda peaceful for the last 40 years,” he said.
On water, the President said the government plans to tap fresh water from River Katonga to address the challenge of saline water affecting some parts of Sembabule.
Regarding education, he noted that the district has 187 government primary schools but expressed concern about inequitable distribution across the district’s 65 parishes.
“You need equal distribution of government schools as per our policy,” he said.
He praised the district for having 10 government secondary schools and outlined plans to strengthen the health sector. Currently, the district has two Health Centre IVs and eight Health Centre IIIs.
President Museveni announced plans to upgrade several Health Centre IIs to Health Centre IIIs, including facilities in Kasaalu, Mutima, Burongo, Mitete, and Kabundi. He also revealed plans to construct new Health Centre IIIs in Nyabitanga and Katwe sub-counties.
The President emphasized that while peace and infrastructure are essential, they do not automatically lift people out of poverty.
“When we realized that people sleep in their homes and not on roads, we understood that development alone is not enough. That is why we added wealth creation,” he said.
Large screens at the rally displayed videos of successful farmers who had adopted NRM-recommended production models. One such example was George Matongo, a livestock farmer from Nakaseke District who produces over 900 litres of milk daily and earns approximately Shs29 million per month despite having no formal education and living far from a tarmac road.
President Museveni reiterated the four-acre model introduced in the NRM’s 1996 manifesto, encouraging households to allocate land to coffee, food crops, fruits, and pasture, while using backyards for poultry, piggery, or fish farming.
He cited Members of Parliament and private farmers such as Fred Byamukama and Joseph Ijala, whose small-scale but intensive farming enterprises generate hundreds of millions of shillings annually.
“But here in Sembabule, you find someone with a huge chunk of land not utilising it well,” he said, urging residents to abandon free-range grazing and embrace commercial dairy farming and irrigation.
The President called on residents to actively monitor Parish Development Model (PDM) funds to ensure accountability.
“This PDM welcomes everyone above 18 years. You elect your own parish SACCO leaders. Stop lamenting—the system is in your hands,” he said.
On employment, President Museveni dismissed the idea that government jobs could absorb Uganda’s rapidly growing population, noting that public service employs only about 480,000 people out of a population nearing 50 million.
“Jobs must come from agriculture, manufacturing, services, and ICT,” he said, citing large poultry farms and industrial parks such as Namanve and Sino-Mbale as examples of private-sector-led job creation.
The President thanked the people of Sembabule for braving the rain to attend the rally and listen to his message.
He praised their resilience and commitment, describing them as “the grandchildren of freedom fighters” who demonstrated unwavering support despite the harsh weather.
“When the rain came, you stayed,” he said, noting that similar determination had been shown by NRM supporters in Kassanda, Kyankwanzi, and Bukomansimbi, where crowds also endured heavy downpours during his campaign meetings.
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