The crowd had barely settled when President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni paused, looked over the sea of yellow before him, and offered a story few in Iganga had ever heard. It was a memory from the early 1970s when Uganda’s future hung on courage and secrecy, and when Iganga became a silent witness to a mission that could not fail.
Museveni told the cheering crowd how he once slipped into the district disguised as a traveller, carrying 12 machine guns smuggled from Tanzania. He hid the weapons in a local garage, walked to a clubhouse pretending to wait for a bus to Namasagali, and sat there until nightfall. Only then did he proceed to Kampala under the cover of darkness.
“I could not enter Kampala during the day with guns,” he said. “I waited here in Iganga until nightfall. This town helped hide us when the country was in turmoil.”
The crowd roared, some astonished, others nodding knowingly as they absorbed the reminder of a time when Uganda was defined by fear, not stability. That contrast set the tone for Museveni’s final day of the Busoga campaign tour, where he used the past to highlight how far the country has come.
He said peace remains the NRM’s greatest achievement, describing it as the foundation on which every other sector now stands. He told supporters that without lasting security, Uganda could not have expanded electricity, built roads, revived the railway, increased school access, or delivered safe water across rural communities.
He highlighted key improvements in Busoga, including the funded Iganga–Kamacwa–Kamuli road, an increase in rural electrification, and the expansion of safe water systems across the district. He stressed the need for every parish to have at least one government primary school and noted that plans for new secondary schools are already underway.
Museveni urged the region to use its improved infrastructure to focus on wealth creation through government programmes such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga.
Busoga’s overwhelming turnout signaled the region’s continued loyalty to the NRM, with thousands filling Iganga District headquarters long before his convoy arrived. The streets turned into a vibrant flood of yellow flags, chants, and excitement as the President closed his Busoga tour on a high note.
Development Snapshot: Iganga Projects
Parish Development Model (PDM)
- Shs. 12.956 billion disbursed to 12,956 households in Iganga District.
- Shs. 3.382 billion disbursed to 3,387 households in Iganga Municipality.
- 16,343 households (12%) already benefiting.
Emyooga
- 54 SACCOs formed with 31,980 members.
- Shs. 2.42 billion disbursed to support enterprise groups.
Education
- 99 government primary schools in the district and 7 in the municipality.
- 31 of 42 parishes have a government primary school.
- 9 government secondary schools, 7 offering USE and UPOLET.
- Construction of 3 Seed Secondary Schools underway.
Health
- 1 hospital, 1 HCIV, 10 HCIIIs.
- Only one sub-county lacks a Health Centre III or higher.
Water
- 42 new boreholes drilled; 24 rehabilitated.
- 3 piped water systems built in Mawaito, Nawandala, and Kazigo.
- Major municipal and rural piped systems constructed and operational.
- Rural safe water coverage now at 77%.
Energy
- Entire district connected to the national grid.
- 9 of 11 sub-counties already electrified.
Museveni’s rally in Iganga district merged memory with message, one part history, one part promise, and a clear call for Busoga to build on the foundations in place.
