President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged voters in Rubaga Division to hold their elected leaders accountable for local challenges, saying citizens should stop blaming the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government for failures linked to leaders they freely chose.
Museveni made the remarks on Monday while addressing thousands of supporters at a campaign rally held at Kitebi Primary School playgrounds, his second rally of the day after Entebbe. He was accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Kataaha Museveni.
The President responded to complaints about some residents failing to access Parish Development Model (PDM) funds by placing responsibility on local leadership structures.
“Who chooses the SACCO committees? You do,” Museveni said. “If the money is not reaching you, report those responsible. The funds are sent, but sometimes they stop along the way.”
He was blunt in his assessment of political accountability, using Rubaga South as an example.
“I have never heard of the Rubaga South MP. I didn’t choose him—you did. So if there are problems, who is to blame?” Museveni said, reinforcing his message that voters must take responsibility for their electoral choices.
Museveni dismissed claims that the NRM has done little for Buganda, saying peace and development in the region were a direct result of NRM leadership.
“When NRM brought peace, development followed,” he said, pointing to the growth of shopping malls, infrastructure, and industrial activity in and around Rubaga.
He outlined the government’s long-term wealth creation strategy, tracing it from Entandikwa and NAADS to Operation Wealth Creation and the current PDM, which channels funds directly to communities through parish SACCOs.
On Natete Market, Museveni assured residents that people who vacated the land would be compensated fairly, stressing the need to balance development with justice for affected communities.
Maama Janet Museveni thanked religious leaders for their prayers, saying spiritual guidance has been central to Uganda’s healing and nation-building process. She urged Ugandans to remain united and to safeguard peace as the foundation for development.
NRM First National Vice Chairman Alhajji Moses Kigongo thanked Rubaga residents for the large turnout and called for peaceful campaigns, loyalty, and discipline during the electoral period.
NRM Rubaga Division Chairperson Ivan Kamuntu Semakula Majjambere credited the NRM government for what he described as people-centred development, citing improved roads, upgraded markets, and support to education institutions, including Kitebi Secondary School.
The rally drew NRM Central Executive Committee members, Members of Parliament, religious and cultural leaders, and thousands of supporters, as Museveni reinforced a central campaign message: accountability for local problems begins with the leaders voters elect.
