By Jumah Kakomo and Kabuye Ronald
National Resistance Movement (NRM) presidential candidate Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has honored families of liberation war heroes who were publicly executed in the 1970s at Kityerera Forest in Mayuge District, urging residents to safeguard the gains achieved under the NRM government.
During his campaign rally in Mayuge, Gen. Museveni, together with the congregation, observed a moment of silence for the fallen fighters from Mayuge, Kabale, Mbale, Gulu and Fort Portal, who had set up a camp in Kityerera Forest during the struggle against Idi Amin’s regime. He read out the names of the honored heroes and recognized their surviving families, including that of his Deputy Press Secretary and Head of Mobilisation Alhaji Farouq Kirunda, among other senior cadres.
Addressing supporters, Museveni directed sugarcane factories in Mayuge to strictly adhere to sector regulations and stop exploiting farmers. His remarks followed complaints raised by First Deputy Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, who highlighted irregularities undermining sugarcane growers. Museveni assured residents that government would intervene to address the challenges.
The NRM candidate announced plans to support large-scale farmers growing sugarcane, tea, cotton and other crops by providing fertilizers, and promised increased investment in community fish farming through the construction of fish ponds.
He advised residents to make strategic choices regarding wealth-creation programs, emphasizing the importance of aligning projects to the size of land owned. Museveni further explained the 4-Acre Model and its enterprises as a sustainable wealth creation strategy introduced by the NRM.
Museveni also urged the people of Mayuge to clearly differentiate between development and individual wealth creation and to take advantage of existing socioeconomic empowerment funds, including the Parish Development Model, Emyooga, the Youth Livelihood Programme, and the Women Empowerment Fund.
He highlighted job opportunities available in commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services and ICT, calling on residents to identify and pursue sectors suitable for them. He also criticized political opponents whom he accused of lacking leadership experience, cautioning the public against being misled.
On service delivery, Museveni confirmed plans to elevate Mayuge Health Centre IV to a district general hospital and to upgrade several Health Centre IIs to Health Centre IIIs.
He also warned district authorities about the uneven distribution of government schools, noting that while Mayuge has 143 public primary schools, they are spread across only 63 of the 84 parishes, contrary to the national policy of having at least one primary school per parish and one secondary school per sub-county.
Museveni concluded by outlining additional infrastructure projects the NRM government intends to deliver, including upgrading the remaining Iganga–Bwonda Road, as part of ongoing efforts to improve road coverage in the region.
