Museveni’s “Life and Death” Campaign Reaches Greater Masaka and Mubende
As the 2026 general elections draw closer, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has intensified his nationwide tour, recently making high-stakes stops in Greater Masaka and the Greater Mubende regions. These areas, historically significant to the National Resistance Movement (NRM) but politically contested in recent years, have become the center stage for the President’s dual message: the absolute necessity of political stability and the urgent need for household-level wealth creation.
In a series of impassioned addresses to local leaders, farmers, and youth, Museveni has framed the upcoming election not merely as a periodic democratic exercise, but as a “matter of life and death” for the nation’s future.
The Stakes of Stability: “Life and Death”
Addressing a massive gathering in Mityana as he concluded his Greater Mubende trail on December 18, 2025, the President did not mince words regarding the 2026 polls. He warned that any lapse in leadership could undo decades of hard-won peace.
“This election is a matter of life and death for the stability of Uganda,” Museveni told the crowd. “We are not playing games. We are talking about the security of 46 million people and the progress we have built from the ruins of 1986.”
The President’s rhetoric centers on the idea that the NRM is the only force capable of maintaining the “zero-tolerance” for chaos that has allowed the economy to grow. He frequently references the 1980s liberation struggle, reminding the residents of Mubende—a region that served as a corridor for the NRA—that the “fundamental change” promised 40 years ago is still a work in progress that requires a steady hand.
Wealth vs. Development: The Four-Acre Model
A core theme of Museveni’s current campaign trail is the distinction between “Development” and “Wealth Creation.” While the government provides “development” in the form of tarmac roads, electricity, and schools, the President argues that these do not automatically put money into people’s pockets.
In both Masaka and Mubende, he has been aggressively promoting the “Four-Acre Model” as the blueprint for rural prosperity. The model is a strategy designed for families with limited land to maximize income through “ekibalo” (mathematical calculation):
- Acre One: Coffee (the “gold” of the central region).
- Acre Two: Fruits (pineapples, citrus, or mangoes).
- Acre Three: Food crops for home consumption (bananas, cassava, etc.).
- Acre Four: Pasture for dairy cattle (to provide milk for the family and for sale).
- Backyard activities: Poultry, piggery, or fish farming.
“You can have a beautiful tarmac road in front of your house, but if you are still in poverty inside that house, the road doesn’t help you,” Museveni noted in Masaka. He urged residents to move away from “subsistence farming” (working only for the stomach) and join the “money economy.”
Reclaiming the Buganda Heartland
The President’s focus on Greater Masaka is particularly strategic. In the 2021 elections, the region overwhelmingly voted for the opposition, specifically the National Unity Platform (NUP). By returning to Masaka, Museveni is attempting to win back the “Wananchi” (common people) by focusing on tangible economic benefits rather than identity politics.
During his visit to Masaka Liberation Square, the President praised those who had already adopted his wealth creation message, citing visible improvements in housing—noting that “grass-thatched houses are disappearing” in favor of iron sheets and cement. He emphasized that the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga funds are the “final cure” for poverty, provided the people elect “leaders who understand” how to manage these resources.
The “Send Me People Who Understand” Plea
One of the most recurring lines in his recent speeches has been a plea for voters to choose NRM-leaning representatives. Museveni expressed frustration with opposition leaders who, he claims, spend their time politicking rather than supervising government programs like the PDM.
“Send me people who understand my guidance so that work can move faster,” he told Mityana residents. He argued that when voters elect opposition MPs or local councilors, they create a “disconnect” that slows down the delivery of seeds, tools, and capital to the villages.
Security and New Technology
To reassure voters who are concerned about electoral integrity, Museveni has highlighted the transition to Biometric Voter Verification. He promised that the “rigging” he alleged occurred in 2021 would be impossible in 2026.
Furthermore, he has linked national security to the campaign trail, discussing the “Ebijambiya” (machete) killings that plagued Masaka in the past. He used this as a success story, explaining how coordination between the police and the community ended the terror, further reinforcing his “stability” narrative.
Conclusion
A Vision for 2026
As Museveni moves from Greater Mubende to the next leg of his tour in Greater Masaka (specifically Lyantonde and Rakai), the message remains consistent: Uganda’s growth is at a tipping point. With the economy projected to grow by over 10% due to oil production, the President is framing his seventh-term bid as the bridge to a “Middle-Income Africa.”
For the residents of Central Uganda, the choice being presented is clear: a vote for the NRM is a vote for the continuation of a security-first ideology and a specific, calculated approach to farming that promises to turn every four-acre plot into a small business. Whether this message can overcome the strong opposition sentiment in these regions will be the defining story of the 2026 election.
