ICYMI: Kyagulanyi’s visit to Iganga came less than two weeks after the NRM’s National chairman and president of Uganda H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni visited the Busoga Sub region on the PDM assessment tour where he spent four days urging people to embrace government wealth creation programmes.
Iganga, (UG):- The President of the Opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) political party, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine on Wednesday, February 05, 2025, received a warm welcome from the people of Iganga on his way to commission the party office in the Kigulu North constituency.
In the company of a delegation of NUP National leaders, Kyagulanyi was welcomed by thousands of people who stood by the roadside as his convoy proceeded to Nabitende Banada, Kidago Sub County in Iganga district where he commissioned an office.
The former Presidential Candidate and Runnerup in the 2021 elections, found a hectic moment to arrive in Nabitende Banada given the number of people who curved off the Iganga-Kaliro road to welcome him. In his open roofed car, he waved to his supporters along the road and this excited many, especially those who had never seen him physically.
While speaking to a gathering of supporters at the office inauguration event in Nabitende, Kyagulanyi urged people to embrace the ongoing electoral commission exercise of general update of the National Voters’ Register as part of their preparation for the forthcoming elections.
Bobi Wine urged everyone to check their names on the electoral commission’s register to ensure they are properly registered. He commended the leadership of NUP in Iganga district for prioritizing service beyond self and tasked them to get grounded as campaigns for 2026 elections gears up.
At the event, the MP hopeful for Kigulu North Mr. Maganda Julius who was key in inviting the NUP president to the constituency appealed to the people to trust him with the NUP ticket and outcompete the incumbent MP who doubles as the state minister for Agriculture Hon. Bwino Fred Kyakulaga.
Later in the afternoon, Kyagulanyi proceeded to Mawagala Primary school, Nawaningi Sub County in Kigulu South constituency, Iganga district to fulfill the pledge of Shs5m to renovate a structure which has taken years without being worked on. He asked people to support him saying a lot will be done in their leadership.
“I was informed by your leaders that this building has taken years without being completed. I will be lying to you if I say that I have come to finish it, because I don’t have the money. If it wasn’t for those who stole our victory, we would even rebuild this whole school,” Kyagulanyi said.
The visit of Bobi Wine came less than two weeks after the NRM’s National chairman and president of Uganda H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni visited the Busoga Sub region on the PDM assessment tour where he spent four days urging people to embrace government wealth creation programmes.
However, despite the visit of president Museveni, a number of people have accused the NRM party of not working on the very problems affecting the region and this has seen a number of them crossing to the National Unity Platform with the recent being the former deputy mayor Iganga municipality Mr. Ndazuula Enoch.
At Mawagala primary school, Ndazuula, the Iganga municipality mayor hopeful and others were ushered into NUP by Bobi Wine along with other leaders. Ndazuula was a diehard of the ruling NRM party especially during his reign from 2016 to 2021 as deputy mayor and he said that his decision to cross to NUP is irreversible.
“It was such a special gesture from the president; I am exceedingly humbled by the gesture. That is just a singular hospitality ever for the entrants and I will do everything to my abilities to commensurate this very rare love from the president,” Ndazuula said.
The new entrants of NUP were presented to the NUP president by the chief mobilizer NUP in the Eastern region, the former MP Kigulu South Hon. Kiiza Andrew Kaluya and the NUP chairperson Iganga district Mr Grace Ndizaawa alias Warchild. They urged the entrants to be strong in fighting for people’s interests.
Meanwhile, the visit and hospitality granted to Kyagulanyi by the people of Iganga has been described by NRM leaders as a fans’ welcome in the musical line and not a political welcome and they said his supporters have deteriorated as compared to the previous times by look of things.
One of the youths leaders in Iganga who is also the coordinator Office of the National Chairman (ONC) NRM party in Iganga Mr. Buyinza Abdulrahim said, “compared to previous time, this time round people remained at their work and only attracted those who haven’t seen him as a musician.”
Buyinza commended people for turning up in big numbers to welcome President Museveni on January 25, at the district headquarters during the PDM assessment tour and urged them to continue supporting him. He said NRM is still a darling to Iganga, and he commended security for not interfering with their proceedings.
It should be remembered that in Busoga Sub region, President Museveni lost to Kyagulanyi during the 2021 presidential elections and the voters have since cited a number of concerns like fluctuation in the price of sugarcane, persecution of people on landing sites by UPDF, among other unfulfilled pledges as the cause of poor performance of Museveni in 2021 elections.
In the previous presidential elections in Iganga district, Hon. Kyagulanyi scored 54712 votes (58.23%) while President Museveni scored 35660 votes (37.96%). At the moment, NRM is struggling to regain the lost glory in Busoga and previously a team of NRM officials were dispatched to the region to establish how best the region can restore their love for NRM party.
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