President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, on Monday evening took to the campaign stage, delivering a message shaped by over 40 years in power: Uganda’s progress, he said, is measured not by promises, but by results.

Fresh from the Christmas break, Museveni, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flagbearer, and First Lady Maama Janet Museveni opened the season’s first rally in Butambala District, presenting the election as a choice between continuity and uncertainty. Addressing thousands of supporters and party leaders, the President highlighted the NRM’s achievements as proof of its track record.

“Uganda was once ungovernable; today we are united across tribe, religion and gender,” Museveni declared, pointing to gains in social services as tangible evidence of national transformation. He noted that all seven sub-counties in Butambala now have at least one health facility and pledged to establish a permanent Presidential Skilling Hub in the district, alongside improvements to the Mitala Maria–Bulo–Kanoni road, framing infrastructure as both an economic driver and a benefit of peace.

Beyond infrastructure, Museveni emphasized the importance of household-level wealth creation. Citing Rashidah Namubiru, a beneficiary of the Parish Development Model (PDM) in Butambala, he illustrated how state support can catalyze individual enterprise.

“Rashidah started with goats and land and has multiplied her income and livestock,” Museveni said. “This is the way to defeat poverty.”

He stressed that while government provides an enabling environment, most employment opportunities exist in the private sector. “All sub-counties now have electricity and 82 percent of the population has access to safe water,” he said. “Even a small plot of land can support livestock or fish farming.”

Maama Janet Museveni reinforced the call for continuity, urging residents to deliver 70 percent of the vote to the NRM, warning that political disunity could undermine Uganda’s development gains. She cited regional instability as a reminder of what the country could lose without cohesion.

“When we become disunited, we cannot protect our development,” she said. “We want your children to find this solidarity when they grow up.”

NRM Vice Chairperson Al-Haji Moses Kigongo also addressed the rally, urging party leaders to remain focused, disciplined, and truthful. “Leaders should be truthful; what you say is what you should deliver. Let us think about our country first before individualistic gains,” he said.

The Butambala rally showcased the NRM’s broader campaign strategy: tie political mobilisation to visible service delivery, highlight individual success stories, and frame peace as the foundation for progress. For Museveni and the NRM, the message was clear: voting is not just a political act, but an endorsement of a long-term project rooted in peace, participation, and gradual economic transformation.