Museveni: Vote Leku to Sustain NRM’s Development Agenda in Adjumani West

ADJUMANI: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the National Chairman of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), has rallied voters in Adjumani West Constituency to support the Party’s flag bearer, Leku James Pilli, in Thursday’s parliamentary by-election.

Museveni made the call on Tuesday at Paridi Stadium in Adjumani West, where he addressed a rally marking the conclusion of Leku’s campaigns ahead of the September 17, 2026, poll.

The by-election follows the death of former Adjumani West Member of Parliament, Gen. Moses Ali, who died in July. Museveni used the campaign rally to highlight what he described as the transformation of West Nile under the NRM Government, while urging voters to maintain a political course focused on development, unity and household wealth creation.

The President paid tribute to the late Gen. Moses Ali and other West Nile leaders who, he said, chose to work with the NRM following its rise to power in 1986.

“There are people who saw the correct way of thinking in West Nile. When people like Moses Ali and other cadres joined the NRM in 1986 and after, we started getting development,” Museveni said.

From conflict to development

Museveni said Uganda had gradually moved away from the politics of tribalism, religion and armed conflict that characterised much of the country's post-independence history.

He said the NRM Government had instead promoted a political approach centred on peace, unity, development and improving the economic welfare of citizens.

As evidence of the changes in West Nile, the President cited the expansion of road infrastructure, electricity, education and health services across the region.

“Instead of war, we now have a tarmac road all the way from Kampala to the Nimule border,” Museveni said.

He also pointed to ongoing and planned road projects, including the Koboko-Yumbe-Moyo, Nebbi-Arua and Laropi-Moyo-Afodi roads.

Other roads being upgraded, according to the President, include Nebbi-Goli, Arua-Koboko and Obongi-Adjumani.

Museveni said improved road connectivity was intended to facilitate movement of people and goods, expand access to markets and create an environment in which communities can participate more effectively in economic activities.

Electricity expansion

The President also highlighted increased electricity access in West Nile.

He noted that the national grid had been extended from Gulu through Adjumani to Moyo, while Government was undertaking upgrades to address challenges associated with ageing infrastructure.

Museveni said reliable electricity was critical to supporting businesses, industrialisation and improved service delivery in the region. 

Education and health

On education, Museveni said West Nile had made significant progress compared with the past, when access to secondary education was limited.

He said the NRM Government had continued expanding schools and other education facilities to respond to the needs of the growing population.

The President similarly pointed to the expansion of health centres and other public services, saying Government was continuing to invest in social infrastructure across the region.

However, Museveni cautioned that roads, electricity, schools and health facilities alone would not eliminate poverty at household level.

Museveni urges households to create wealth

The President challenged residents of Adjumani West to actively participate in wealth-creating activities rather than relying solely on Government infrastructure and services.

“Every individual has to participate in wealth creation in order to get rid of household poverty,” he said.

Museveni encouraged residents to take advantage of opportunities in agriculture, trade and other productive enterprises.

He said wealth creation should not be restricted to areas that already have tarmac roads, arguing that households could engage in productive economic activities even as infrastructure continues to improve.

The President also stressed the importance of expanding markets for Ugandan products, particularly through trade with neighbouring countries such as Kenya and South Sudan.

He said access to larger regional markets would be important in enabling farmers, traders and other producers to increase their incomes.

Museveni commends Anyama for supporting Leku

Museveni thanked the NRM Electoral Commission for organising the party's primary elections and commended the aspirants who participated in the race.

He singled out former independent candidate Ben Anyama for accepting his appeal for unity and supporting Leku after withdrawing from the contest.

Anyama has since urged his supporters and other voters to back Leku in Thursday's election.

Anyama said he had been an NRM member since 1986 and decided to support Leku in the interest of party cohesion.

He said his decision followed the President's appeal for unity and called on other NRM supporters to rally behind the Party's flag bearer.

Obua highlights campaign concerns

NRM Vice Chairperson for the Northern Region, Hon. Denis Hamson Obua, said the party had received strong support from residents during the campaign period.

Obua recalled that President Museveni secured 84.75 percent of the vote in Adjumani District during the previous presidential election.

He said the campaign had also provided an opportunity for NRM leaders and mobilisers to listen directly to concerns raised by communities through village-based mobilisation.

Among the key priorities raised by residents, Obua said, were the construction of the Laropi Bridge, upgrading Adjumani Town Council to municipality status and improving the Senyangya-Adjumani road network.

Obua said the concerns would continue to inform the Government's development agenda for the area.

Todwong thanks Adjumani voters

NRM Secretary General, Rt. Hon. Richard Todwong, thanked residents of Adjumani for their continued support for the ruling Party. Todwong welcomed President Museveni to the district and described the rally as an opportunity for residents to reaffirm their unity and commitment to the NRM.

He urged voters to turn up in large numbers on Thursday and support the Party's candidate.

FDC supporters cross to NRM

During the rally, President Museveni also received more than 300 supporters of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), who crossed to the NRM.

The defectors pledged to support Leku in the forthcoming by-election, adding momentum to the NRM campaign on the final day of mobilisation.

The development came days after Anyama, who had contested as an independent, announced his decision to withdraw and support the NRM candidate.

Leku faces voters Thursday

Leku James Pilli is seeking to retain the Adjumani West parliamentary seat for the NRM in a contest triggered by the death of Gen. Moses Ali.

The by-election is scheduled for Thursday, September 17, with voters expected to choose a successor to the veteran politician who represented the constituency for several years.

With campaigns now concluding, the focus shifts to polling day, when voters will determine who takes over the parliamentary seat.

For the NRM, Tuesday's rally at Paridi Stadium provided President Museveni with an opportunity to make a final appeal for support for Leku while linking the candidate's campaign to the broader party message of peace, infrastructure development, economic empowerment and household wealth creation.

Museveni urged voters to maintain unity and support leaders who, in his view, would work with Government to advance development in Adjumani West and the wider West Nile region.