President Museveni Engages NRM Leaders in Lira and Pallisa, Reaffirms Commitment to Balanced Development and Household Wealth Creation

Lira / Pallisa, December 7, 2025 — President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Sunday held high-level engagements with National Resistance Movement (NRM) leaders from Lira and Pallisa districts, emphasizing the importance of peace, infrastructure development, and household income enhancement as the backbone of Uganda’s social-economic transformation.

Meeting Over 15,000 Leaders in Lira

Addressing a massive gathering of more than 15,000 NRM leaders from across Lango Sub-region, President Museveni tackled one of the key concerns raised by the leaders—poor connectivity, particularly the eastern access routes into Lango.

The President acknowledged that it was unreasonable for residents from Namasale, located merely 80 miles from Kampala, to navigate a long roundabout route via Lira, Kamdini and Karuma. He assured the leaders that government would examine the matter to find a logical and cost-effective solution.

“Balanced infrastructure remains central to our transformation journey,” President Museveni said, noting that the government has consistently prioritized road development to link communities to markets, services and opportunities.

He outlined key achievements in the region’s transport network, including the completed Soroti–Lira road, the Rwenkunyu–Masindi Port–Lira–Apac road, and the ongoing Bobi–Aboke works. The President also welcomed additional proposals from the leaders, such as the Dokolo–Bata–Abako–Aloe route, which they believe would enhance trade, tourism and regional integration. He pledged that the submissions would be reviewed through the appropriate government channels.

Peace as the Foundation

The President reminded the leaders of the difficult history Lango endured—Idi Amin’s regime, the 1979–1985 instability, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) conflict, and the cattle-rustling crises. He emphasized that maintaining peace remains the single most important requirement for progress.

“Peace is the foundation of all development. Those who play with it must be careful,” he warned, stressing that the NRM government will continue upholding stability across Uganda.

Support for Grassroots Leadership

President Museveni also addressed concerns on strengthening grassroots political mobilizers. He revealed that government is exploring a sustainable approach to supporting these leaders, either through a modest salary structure or, more feasibly, through wealth creation programmes.

He said initiatives such as Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) and the Parish Development Model (PDM) offer more durable empowerment by boosting household incomes and ensuring self-reliance among leaders and the communities they serve.

President Museveni Meets Pallisa Leaders, Presents Seven Focus Points

Later in the day, the President travelled to Pallisa District where he met local leaders and highlighted the government’s seven priority areas for steering Uganda into socio-economic transformation.

He encouraged households to adopt the 4-acre model, combining dairy farming, fruits, food crops and a cash crop, explaining that this diversified approach is designed to guarantee income security and resilience.

The President thanked Rt. Hon. Anita Among, Speaker of Parliament, for organizing the engagement which enabled him to interact directly with the people and address their development concerns.

Progress on Roads and Restoring Peace

President Museveni reiterated government’s commitment to ensuring that the region’s past instability—particularly the aftermath of the Lakwena insurgency and related conflicts—does not hinder ongoing development.

He assured the leaders that virtually all major roads in Pallisa have been addressed, except for two. Of these remaining roads, one has already secured funding and works are expected to commence soon.

“We secured peace for this region and will continue supporting all those affected by past insurgencies, while ensuring that development reaches every corner,” he said.

Gratitude to the People

President Museveni concluded his engagements by appreciating the people of Lango and Bukedi regions for their continued support to the NRM and commitment to prosperity through peace and development.