By KT Reporter
The National Unity Platform presidential flagbearer, Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine spent the whole of Friday, 28th, November, 2025, holding campaign rallies in different parts of Busoga sub region.
Kyagulanyi started his campaign trail in Jinja district from where he launched the NUP manifesto in September. He would later spend the first one week of October, canvassing for votes in 10 districts across Busoga sub region, reserving Jinja city for last.
After concluding his Mayuge district rally on Saturday, 04th, October, 2025, Kyagulanyi was blocked from accessing Iganga district in the areas of Mbaale trading center. He then informed journalists that security forces had restricted his movements to feeder roads, delaying his arrival within the scheduled time.
Kyagulanyi pointed out how the plying of long distance feeder roads, coupled with what he termed as eminent police roadblocks barr him from holding campaigns in scheduled time.
NUP’s team then harmonized with electoral commission and scheduled the Iganga rally for last, alongside Jinja city. Kyagulanyi’s final rallies in Jinja city and Iganga district, respectively were held barely one week after President Yoweri Museveni concluding his campaign trail in Busoga sub region.
President Museveni who equally serves as the National Resistance Movement-NRM presidential candidate lost nine districts in Busoga sub region to Kyagulanyi, beating him in the three districts of Kaliro, Namutumba and Buyende.
On his campaign trail, Museveni emphasized that, for the past four decades at helm of the country’s topmost office, they have managed to develope desirable infrastructure in health, education, agriculture and roads.
Museveni noted that, his government has done a lot already and he rallied the people of Busoga to entrust him with more.
However, Kyagulanyi in his final rally noted that, Busoga was among the richest sub regions in the country during the post independence period, which explains the quality of schools, health systems, agricultural centered cooperative unions at the time, among others.
This he says has since faded away during the current leadership and entrusting him with power will change the status quo for Busoga sub region and her entire generations, hence fourth.
Supporters from both sides say that, the intense campaigns by these two candidates emphasizes their grip on Busoga sub region and they predict such efforts will have a ripple effect on the final tally.
Esther Namadudu says that president Museveni held rallies in all the districts of Busoga, which was not the case with the 2020 campaign trail cycle, marred with movement restrictions following the then Covid-19 period.
Namadudu says that, this campaign method drew him near the people, most of whom were able to physically watch him address their concerns at public rallies.
She says that the excitement of political mobilization drives as host communities await to physically see the president personally canvas for votes creates unforgettable memories, which are key in influencing voters.
However, Namadudu says that, most of the old presidential campaign pledges to people of Busoga like the Umbercoat-Mbulamuti-Bukungu road, the dilapidated social services infrastructure and the high poverty levels are still visible, which continues to stoke anger among the electorates and might in the long run influence the voting patterns.
Sarah Namulondo’s views are not different from Namadudu and she argues that, much as the Parish Development Model-PDM has been a success with thousands accessing the affirmative One Million Shillings poverty alleviation funds, the situation has not changed much.
She says that, the low employment levels, intensified operations against illegal fishing without providing alternatives, fluctuating prices of sugarcane and low cost of agriculture products sink deep in the daily lives of the wider populations, which threatens to influence the voting patterns.
Asuman Mulowoza, a NUP supporter credits his presidential candidate for self improvement in terms of speech compared to his 2020 campaign days, a move he says will drastically earn him more support across board.
Mulowoza says that previously, Kyagulanyi was viewed as a zealous revolutionary without a clear agenda and their counterparts from other political parties used it against him. However now, the frequent calls for peace and national unity are gradually endearing more to his side, irrespective of their political inclinations.
Mulowoza says that this new package of patriotic statements throughout his rallies are sure brand, is what they are leveraging on to market his candidature within rural communities.ends
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