BUHWEJU, Uganda – As the country gears up for the general election on January 15, 2026, NRM’s candidate Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who doubles as President of Uganda, was in Buhweju and Ibanda Districts on Saturday. This is in accordance with the Presidential campaign program.
The NRM Buhweju rally was organized at Ngaju Sub-County Seed School, which is in Buhweju West, currently represented by Hon. Ephraim Biraaro in the 11th Parliament. Hon. Biraaro was recently defeated by Eng. John Bosco Karisa, forcing Biraaro to run as an independent candidate in the 2026 elections.
However, the President’s rally in the West constituency seems to have left the district more entangled. Observing what transpired at the Ngaju NRM rally, Independent candidate for Buhweju County, Grace Agaba Byarugaba, expressed that Buhweju County was represented by a few people who managed to travel to Engaju in Buhweju West to witness the campaign visit of President Museveni in Buhweju. She stated that the Buhweju West team scored higher in demanding services, especially regarding the roads that connect Buhweju to areas such as Katerera.
“It is clear that Buhweju County roads, which connect the district to neighboring districts such as Ibanda and Mbarara, where our people do business, were not mentioned,” said Byarugaba. According to Byarugaba, it is known that roads in Karungu to Bitsya-Ibanda, Buhunga-Kashari, Kajaani-Rwomushojwe-Ibariro to Kalembe, and Ibariro-Ntungamo-Kibimba are all in a very dilapidated state, crippling people’s businesses, especially the transportation of waragi, matooke, and other agricultural products.
She highlighted that the people of Buhweju need the government’s help, whether for feeder roads or main roads, and that hosting the President would have been a great opportunity for them to talk directly to the fountain of honor about their problems, needs, and aspirations.
Byarugaba expressed concern about Kaniga-Rwengwe and other parts of Bwoga, where people are complaining about sharing water sources with pigs and cows. She added that in Omukareere, Buhunga, roads, water, and power are unheard of – they buy a jerrican of water for 1000 shillings, and a family uses an average of 5 jerricans of water per day.
The Omukatooma/Nkombe-Muyenga road in Buhunga is another issue. Byarugaba explained that people who survive on trading in matooke and waragi suffer due to the poor state of the roads. The people of Isingyiro are crying foul over the poor state of their roads, and the Kibimba-Bitsya road is impassable.
According to Byarugaba, the entire constituency is short on medical preparedness, with no ambulances, and some pregnant women are transported on matooke vehicles at a high price to reach places like Kagongo in Ibanda or Mbarara for health emergencies. She added that this has compromised maternal health and increased the risk of neonatal and infant mortality in Buhweju County.
“We are really in a bad shape in all sectors, and people are being misled that the leaders are working for them, yet there is no voice reaching the government to help our people,” Byarugaba stated. She emphasized the need for lobbying from the government, as the President’s visit was not taken advantage of because their MP could not attend the presidential visit/campaign and is not working with the government to bring services to the people.
“If such a chance could be wasted, then which opportunity is there for Buhweju County to lobby from the government?” she asked. “We all know the best lobbying would be attending the NRM caucus, being represented in cabinet, and having good relations with ministers, the President, and top offices in government.”
Byarugaba further explained that Buhweju West talked well about their tea, roads, health centers, schools, and lobbied for a technical institute, but for Buhweju County, there was no leader to speak for them about their waragi, millet, matooke, health, water, power, or schools. She added that this is because their leader could not join the NRM rally.
Byarugaba stressed that Buhweju people at such a big function could have taken advantage and spoken directly to the President, the fountain of honor, and the chief custodian of service delivery, who would have promised something specifically for Buhweju County.
Speaking at the Ngaju rally, the President clearly mentioned that when leaders are sent to him who cannot sit with him to agree on priorities for Ugandans but focus on opposing government methods of work and crippling service delivery, it is the people who suffer.
According to Byarugaba, what is even more surprising is that reliable sources indicate that as the President was being hosted in Enganju, a good number of people from Buhweju County who would have wished to attend were being locked up somewhere to prevent them from attending the presidential campaign rally.
“Our people are incapacitated, captivated, and manipulated!” she said.
Conclusively, she urged that it is high time Buhweju County decided and chose a leader who will bridge the gap between Buhweju County and the government so that they can effectively lobby for their area and develop themselves as Buhweju County.
