Museveni Rallies Entebbe Supporters with Manifesto Focused on “Protecting the Gains”
President Launches Campaign Tour in Wakiso District, Citing Security and Economic Achievements as Election Platform
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, accompanied by First Lady Janet Museveni, was received by what state-aligned media described as a “massive and enthusiastic crowd” at the Works Playground in Entebbe Municipality this morning. The rally, awash in the yellow colors of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), marked a key stop on the party’s campaign trail for the 2026 general elections, centered on the theme #ProtectingTheGains.
The Rally and Core Campaign Message
Social media posts from NRM-aligned accounts portrayed a festive scene, with “roads painted yellow while the faces are all smiles” as crowds awaited the presidential candidate. President Museveni used the occasion to present the party’s 2026–31 Manifesto, framing it as a social contract to safeguard past achievements and propel Uganda to a higher economic status.
The manifesto’s launch was not today’s event but occurred in October 2025 at the Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort Hotel. The Entebbe rally served as a major public platform to disseminate its contents, which are built on several interconnected pillars:
· Peace and Security: Cited as the NRM’s foundational achievement.
· Wealth Creation and Jobs: Emphasizing agro-industrialization and value addition.
· Infrastructure Development: Continued focus on roads, railways, and energy.
· Service Delivery: Improving health, education, and security services.
· Markets and Unity: Pushing for East African integration and condemning sectarianism.
The “Gains” to Protect: Claims of Transformation
At the manifesto’s earlier launch, NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong detailed statistics to define the “gains” the campaign seeks to protect:
· Economy: Projected to reach $66.1 billion by the end of FY2025/26, having “doubled in spite of global shocks.”
· Poverty and Livelihoods: National poverty levels reportedly fell from 21.4% (2016) to 16.1% (2025), with subsistence households reducing from 68.9% to 33.1%.
· Industrialization: Number of factories claimed to have risen from about 37,559 in 2020 to approximately 50,000.
· Human Development: Life expectancy said to have increased from 45 years in 1986 to 68 years today, with Universal Primary Education enrollment growing to 9.1 million learners.
Campaign Strategy and Regional Challenges
The enthusiastic rally in the Wakiso District contrasts with the NRM’s reported challenges in other regions. Analysis suggests the party is employing a decentralized campaign strategy under the guidance of its Secretariat, with regional coordinating teams replacing a single national taskforce.
This approach is being tested in areas like the Busoga sub-region, where the NRM lost the presidential vote in 2021 for the first time since 1996. Party coordinators there admit to a “race against time” to win back support, addressing historical grievances over unfulfilled promises and a perceived sense of neglect. The deployment of specific tactics, like First Deputy Prime Minister Rebecca Kadaga’s “hospital-focused campaign” that delivers supplies to health facilities, underscores the targeted effort to regain favor.
The Road to January 15
Today’s rally in Entebbe is part of a broader national tour, with campaigns scheduled to move to Kampala. As he campaigns, President Museveni’s message remains consistent: a vote for the NRM is a vote for stability and continued economic progress. The party’s narrative seeks to frame the election as a choice between protecting documented achievements and an uncertain alternative, a case it will now make to voters across the country in the final days before the polls.
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