Gen. Kahinda Otafiire
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I The Minister of Internal Affairs, Gen. Kahinda Otafiire, has urged Ugandans to guard the country’s prevailing peace “like a glass,” warning that any recklessness could shatter the stability restored by the NRM.
He delivered the caution on Wednesday as President Yoweri Museveni and senior party leaders campaigned in Mitooma District.
Otafiire reminded the gathering of Uganda’s turbulent past. “We have spent 40 years in power but 20 years wasted in various wars. But now Uganda is stable,” he said.
“Open your eyes and see the peace we have created. Peace is like a glass, it’s good when you are still holding it. Once it drops down it can cut you. Those of you saying Museveni must go, just get behind us and we show you how we can protect your peace.”
He urged supporters to remain aligned with the NRM leadership: “Stay behind us and we show you how to hunt down the leopard. Don’t go ahead of us because the leopard might devour you and also kill us.”
He further cautioned against complacency ahead of the 2026 polls: “Let no one deceive you that we already have victory. Let all of you go for voting, those who are sick and those who are not.”
President Museveni opened his remarks by noting that peace in Uganda is a product of strong state institutions built by the NRM.
He highlighted Mitooma’s development milestones: “All sub-counties in Mitooma are connected to the national power grid apart from three.” He added, “I can see in my file that all villages have clean water,” and announced that “The road from Bwizi–Kabwohe–Kitagata will be extended to Mitooma.”
He called for disciplined planning: “Tell your MPs to consider prioritization. They should consider our advice of working on one project at a time.”
Museveni noted that “Mitooma is doing well in terms of social infrastructure,” citing the district’s 109 government-aided primary schools, 97 private primary schools, 16 government-aided secondary schools, one government hospital under construction, and health facilities—“HC4 – 1; HC3 – 9.”
The President reminded citizens not to confuse public development with household wealth.
“Stop confusing development with household wealth. When we entered the government, we introduced the four-acre model for those with limited land acreage. Many people did not take our advice seriously but some few people heeded our call and are doing very well.” He referenced two farmers from Busoga and Karamoja who have become high earners through the model.
He encouraged commercial farming for landowners with larger acreage. “Cotton can bring money but it needs when you have grown on a large scale. Each acre can bring in Shs1m,” he said.
“Tea and maize also need extensive land. As long as you can do your calculations and get a profit, you are free to plant what you want.”
He announced: “I’m going to start a loan scheme for large-scale farmers so that they can buy fertilizers, especially the tea, coffee and maize farmers.”
Museveni celebrated Uganda’s rising agricultural output. “Many people have become wealthy through coffee farming. Uganda has benefitted from coffee farmers because currently we produce 9 million bags of coffee compared to the three million bags years back. Uganda also produces five billion litres of milk up from 3.8 billion in 2023. All this is part of the contribution by NRM. Uganda has never been wealthy as it is now.”
He emphasized NRM’s role in job creation. “The NRM government has created jobs for thousands of people through various ways. The government has created the environment for private investors to create jobs for hundreds of people. The government has also established industrial parks where many factories are employing hundreds of people. Namanve employs 44,000. So this is a contribution of the NRM, advising people to invest in various projects.”
Responding to community concerns, Museveni said he would instruct authorities to erect an electric fence around Queen Elizabeth National Park to stop wildlife from destroying gardens. He also pledged an industrial hub for Greater Bushenyi.
First Lady Maama Janet Museveni thanked God for guiding Uganda through its troubled past. “I want to thank God for guiding President Museveni to steer the country into a peaceful nation. All those wars that the country has gone through, we must thank God for guiding NRM. Let us not forget where we have come from. Many of the citizens are young and they did not experience many of the wars this country has gone through.”
She praised Deputy Speaker Tayebwa “for uniting NRM leaders, especially those who had tried to contest as independents,” and thanked Afande Otafiire “for speaking like a senior elder, recalling the bad old days.”
She encouraged those who understand Uganda’s history to strengthen the NRM so the country can continue progressing, saying Uganda has become a beacon of hope in a region where many countries remain unstable.
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa thanked Museveni for granting Mitooma District status and pledged overwhelming support for NRM. “We shall move around Greater Bushenyi hunting for votes. This time we want to score 98%,” he said.
Tayebwa also thanked Mrs Janet for praying for the country, emphasising that peace is one of Uganda’s greatest achievements. He requested fertilizers to improve agricultural yields, assistance in securing land titles for families that settled here in the 1950s.
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