National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, alias Bobi Wine, has promised to return to Butebo and Budaka districts when hospitals are functioning, teachers are paid on time, and public services meet the needs of ordinary citizens.
Speaking to enthusiastic supporters Kyagulanyi said the 2026 vote presents a clear choice between what he termed as “failed systems” and “attainable change.”
“This voting is between things that failed and things that are attainable,” Kyagulanyi declared, urging residents to rally behind the NUP umbrella symbol as a sign of unity and liberation.
Residents used the platform to voice their frustrations over deteriorating livelihoods.
One supporter lamented that they were chased away from the lake where they used to cultivate rice, leaving many without a source of income.
“We no longer cultivate because they chased us from the lake. We used to grow rice but now they stopped us,” the supporter said, calling on Kyagulanyi to appoint a special minister to address their unique challenges once elected.
Kyagulanyi, responding to the concerns, assured the locals that an NUP government would appoint responsible leaders who understand community needs rather than those driven by political reward.
He noted that places like Butebo and Budaka, which overwhelmingly voted for the ruling NRM in the 2021 general election, remain crippled by poor infrastructure, high unemployment, a collapsing education system marked by high school dropout rates, and a struggling rural economy.
“We are going to return here when hospitals are working and teachers are paid and on time,” Kyagulanyi said.
Through their ofiicial X handle, NUP revealed that they have identified common challenges across all regions they have visited poor road networks, declining household incomes, high youth unemployment, and neglect of rural farmers and pledged to fix them in line with their “Eleven Point Programme” manifesto.
As the presidential campaigns enter their third week, NUP says it is determined to dismantle the ruling party’s hold on districts like Butebo and Budaka by offering what it calls a people-focused alternative that restores dignity, economic opportunity, and accountable leadership.
Kyagulanyi urged supporters to become ambassadors of the change they seek by voting for the umbrella and mobilising others to do the same.
