President Yoweri Museveni has sharply criticized voters in Butambala District for consistently supporting the opposition despite what he described as significant development delivered by the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) government.
Speaking during a campaign rally at Nkokoma Primary School playgrounds in Bulo on Monday, Museveni accused residents of ingratitude and warned that rejecting the NRM could attract negative consequences for the district.
“You will bring a curse to yourselves. NRM giving you all this development and you vote opposition. I pity you,” Museveni told the crowd. “If you are not truthful, God cannot be happy with you. The opposition are like night dancers. A night dancer wants to destroy good things.”
The President said the government has invested heavily in Butambala, citing improved road infrastructure, electricity connectivity, and expanded access to education as some of the key achievements under NRM rule.
Museveni recalled that when the NRM came to power nearly four decades ago, tarmac roads only stretched as far as Mpigi. He noted that the road network has since been extended through Kibibi, Gombe, Kayenje, Mpenja, Kanoni, Kabulasoke and now links Butambala directly to Masaka.
“When NRM took over, there was no tarmac here. Today, you have roads, electricity, schools—things that never existed before,” he said. “You despise all this and go to the opposition. God doesn’t get happy with such behavior.”
The President used the platform to urge voters to reassess their political choices ahead of the 2026 general elections, arguing that supporting the ruling party is the surest way to guarantee continued development and government support.
Butambala has in recent elections leaned towards opposition candidates, a trend Museveni and other NRM leaders have often attributed to misinformation and what they describe as protest voting.
Museveni’s remarks come amid intensified countrywide campaigns by the ruling party as it seeks to consolidate support in regions that have traditionally voted against it, with NRM leaders emphasizing development as their main campaign message.
