President Museveni rallies Kassanda: “Don’t repeat the last mistake” — NRM pledges schools, health fixes

Bukuya, Kassanda District — President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni addressed a large, rain-soaked crowd in Bukuya Town Council this afternoon, using the NRM campaign stop to press a simple message to voters: don’t return to opposition leaders who, he said, make promises and fail to deliver. The president thanked residents for turning out despite heavy showers and framed the visit as part of the party’s wider Buganda mobilisation ahead of the 2026 general elections. 

Key promises and claims

Museveni reiterated the NRM’s education targets, saying the party’s plan is for every parish to have a government primary school and every sub-county to have a government secondary school. He noted Kassanda’s current standing — that the district already has roughly 100 primary schools and 13 secondary schools — and said remaining gaps will be filled under NRM plans. He also said only two sub-counties in Kassanda currently lack health facilities and pledged those deficiencies would be addressed. These education and health comments were central to his appeal to voters concerned about local services.

Blame on past choices, call to change course

A theme throughout Museveni’s remarks was accountability for past voting choices. He blamed previous voting for opposition politicians as a factor in the district’s shortfalls in service delivery and urged residents to reverse that trend by returning support to the NRM. Observers at the rally said the message combined critique of opponents with promises of concrete service delivery if the NRM wins more local support.

Rally context and turnout

The visit to Kassanda formed part of Museveni’s broader campaign tour across Buganda, which included earlier stops and a recent unveiling of the NRM 2026–2031 manifesto in Kyankwanzi. State House and party channels had signalled Bukuya as the Kassanda venue; social media and local reporters described a sizeable crowd that braved rain to attend. Local youth and civic leaders had previously asked the president to prioritise road works, youth funding, and other livelihood interventions during his visit — issues that cropped up in questions and side conversations at the rally.

What the promises mean locally 

If implemented, the “one primary per parish / one secondary per sub-county” policy would require targeted allocations and construction in parishes and sub-counties that currently lack government schools. Museveni’s pledge to address the two sub-counties without health facilities signals short-term service delivery actions (clinic construction, staffing, or outreach), but such projects typically depend on both central funding and local administration for timely completion. Analysts and development actors will watch budget lines and implementation timetables closely after the campaign season. 

Political impact and next steps

Museveni used the Kassanda stop to combine policy promises with electoral messaging — reminding supporters of development achievements while asking for votes to secure future projects. For Kassanda voters, the rally puts local infrastructure and service delivery at the centre of the campaign debate. As the 2026 polls approach, the effectiveness of the NRM’s pledges will be measured by concrete follow-through (project starts, budgets released, and local delivery), and by whether voters in Kassanda and neighbouring districts respond to the president’s appeal.