By KT Reporter
Ntungamo and Isingiro district leaders have asked the National Resistance Movement (NRM) presidential candidate, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, to provide additional road equipment to ease the construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance of their extensive road networks.
Presenting their demands at separate campaign rallies, the Isingiro District Chairperson, Alone Turahi and the Ntungamo District NRM Chairperson, Janet Kataha Museveni, said both districts, among the largest in the sub-region, continue to struggle with dilapidated roads despite the government’s earlier intervention.
Since 2018, the Government, through the Ministry of Works and Transport, has supplied each district with a comprehensive road unit comprising a motor grader, wheel loader, two tipper trucks, a water bowser, and a roller. However, leaders argue that the equipment is insufficient.
Alone Turahi, the Isingiro District Chairperson, said the district has more than 2,565 kilometres of road network, making the existing single unit inadequate. He requested two additional units to keep up with maintenance demands.
In Ntungamo, Janet Kataha Museveni said the district’s over 2,000 kilometres of road network equally warrants additional machinery and funding to ensure regular maintenance.
In response, President Museveni promised to construct key inter-district roads linking Ntungamo, Isingiro, and Rakai Districts. He also pledged to reconstruct the worn-out Ntungamo-Rukungiri road.
The targeted roads include Kikagate-Kitwe-Mirama Hills, which connects Isingiro and Ntungamo, and the Kabingo-Rwekubo-Rugaga-Rwangabo-Endizi-Magabi-Rakai-Mutukula road, which links Isingiro to Rakai. He further pledged to work on the Birere-Nyamuyanja-Kabuyanda (48 km) road, as well as Kitwe-Rukoni-Bugamba-Buteraniro.
Beginning his Ankole sub-region campaign trail in Isingiro District-first at the district headquarters and later at Kyamate Secondary School Playground, President attributed delays in road construction to what he described as scattered priorities among government actors.
Museveni told residents that until Uganda begins drilling oil in 2026, the NRM government is prioritising household poverty eradication over large-scale infrastructure expansion.
“It doesn’t make any sense living along a tarmac road when people are poor in their homes. But when people have wealth, they create jobs, and development starts,” he said.
Citing examples from across the country, Museveni said the NRM differs from previous political formations because it focuses on wealth creation through government economic programmes designed to drive socio-economic transformation.
Turahi also appreciated the near-completion of the Kagera Water Project, now at 98 per cent, saying it will significantly benefit residents of Isingiro District and Mbarara City. Museveni encouraged farmers, particularly banana growers, to utilise the water for irrigation and to benchmark from the Presidential Initiative on Banana Industrial Development.
Meanwhile, Bishop Nathan Ahimbisibwe of South Ankole Diocese praised the President for what he described as a “class on wealth creation” that is transforming livelihoods across the country.
Moses Kahima, the Ruhama County Member of Parliament, highlighted underinvestment in tourism, noting that Ntungamo’s rich tourist attractions remain largely unexploited. He urged the Uganda Tourism Board to elevate the Karegyeya Stone and provide guidance on developments around Lake Nyabihoko.
President Museveni continues his campaign trail in Kiruhura and Kazo districts.
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