By KT Reporter
The President of the National Unity Platform (NUP), Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, has condemned the deplorable state of road infrastructure in Busoga, describing it as a deliberate sign of government neglect that has crippled farmers and undermined the region’s economy.
Kyagulanyi, on the fourth day of his presidential campaign trail, addressed supporters at Buyanga sub-county headquarters in Bugweri district. He said the seven districts he has traversed in Busoga are uniformly defined by impassable roads riddled with potholes, eroded gullies, and poor drainage systems.
He emphasised that the dilapidated road network is not just an inconvenience but a structural barrier that continues to stifle the livelihoods of ordinary Ugandans.
“Everywhere we have passed, the roads are broken down. What should connect farmers to markets has instead become a trap that drains their earnings into transport costs. Our farmers are not poor because they do not work hard. They are poor because the system has made it impossible for them to profit from their sweat.”
Kyagulanyi remarked that the police’s strategy of diverting his convoy away from town centres has ironically exposed him and his team to the true state of the countryside. On his way to Bugweri, police barred his passage through Iganga town, diverting him at Walugogo junction off the Jinja-Iganga highway. His team was forced to navigate dusty, rugged tracks across Bulamagi, Nakalama, and Makutu sub-counties, journeys that stretched three hours instead of the usual thirty minutes.
He told supporters that this diversion turned into a blessing in disguise, as it unveiled firsthand the everyday struggles of rural communities.
“Good roads are not a luxury. They are a lifeline for our people. But for decades, this government has only built roads where it suits them politically, leaving regions like Busoga trapped in dust and mud. This is the injustice we seek to end.”
Supporters lining the dirt roads seemed to embrace this reality as well. Annet Nabirye, a resident, said seeing Kyagulanyi travel on the same bumpy roads helped erase the image of him as a distant celebrity. She remarked that although people always said Bobi Wine is a proud musician who doesn’t know the suffering of his supporters, today, he was seen moving on the same dusty roads, waving from an open-roof car, and feeling the same discomfort the Basogha endure every day.
Another supporter, Olivia Namulondo, said Kyagulanyi’s liberation songs offered hope to villagers along the campaign route, many of whom are blocked from attending mass rallies because of security restrictions. “His music keeps people’s spirits alive, even when police prevent him from speaking in town centres. He addresses the issues we whisper to him in processions. That gives us courage,” she said.
Despite heavy police presence and constant roadblocks, Kyagulanyi’s message resonated strongly. For him, the dire state of roads is more than an infrastructure issue, but a political statement of exclusion and disregard.
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