NPP’s Kasibante scoffs at Museveni’s ‘hired crowds’, calls it deception

Kamuli, Uganda: National Peasants Party (NPP) presidential candidate Robert Kasibante has defended his decision to hold small, impromptu public engagements instead of large rallies, arguing that “peasants’ struggles are met in reality, not deception.”

Speaking during stopovers in Kamuli and Buyende districts, Kasibante said he is deliberately avoiding costly rallies and hired crowds, insisting that his campaign seeks to meet people in their everyday environments rather than stage-managed events.

“We are contented with our genuine crowds, people willing and ready to listen to our message,” Kasibante said. “As peasants, we don’t want to waste people’s productive time waiting for us at rallies. We get to them where they are.”

He mocked President Museveni’s campaign style, accusing the ruling NRM of “ferrying yellow-clad crowds and hiring artists to fill the vacuum of an empty message.” “Museveni dresses people in yellow, transports them, and uses artists to do the talking because he has nothing new to tell the public,” he scoffed.

Calls for accountability and cost-cutting reforms

Kasibante decried what he termed government extravagance and misplaced priorities, vowing to cut public expenditure and redirect funds to food security, education, and social welfare if elected.

“We shall reduce the bloated Parliament to only two MPs per district, one woman and one man, and scrap off the RDC positions, which are redundant,” he declared, drawing applause from his audience.

He said the savings from these reforms would be invested in essential sectors like education, skill development, and rural productivity.

Tackling poverty and inequality

Kasibante blamed persistent poverty on what he called “election-season poverty schemes” such as Entandikwa, Emyooga, and PDM, which he claimed are designed to create hope rather than solve the problem.

“Poverty is a tool used by the regime to keep voters on their knees. Every election comes with another poverty program, yet the people remain poor,” he said.

The NPP candidate promised to promote irrigation farming and food security to enable peasants to save, invest, and transition toward a sustainable middle-class economy.

He pledged to pay UGX 200,000 monthly to all unemployed youth and elderly citizens, a policy he said would be financed by curbing budget misuse and corruption.

Kasibante also promised to provide free internet access for all citizens and integrate digital technology into government services. “The dot-com generation will be connected. We shall use phones to pay the public instead of subjecting them to bureaucracy in banking systems,” he said.

“Let us make our votes meaningful, not a ritual where losers are declared winners. Like in Tanzania, we must stand up when our choices are overturned,” he concluded.