Namayingo - The First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Kataaha Museveni, has urged the people of Namayingo District to treasure peace and remain united under God.
She told thousands of supporters at Namayingo Primary School Grounds – where she had accompanied the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Presidential Flagbearer Yoweri Museveni – that unity is the shield that protects Uganda’s progress.
“We thank the Lord for a day like this, when we come to remember what the NRM means to Uganda,” she said.
“It is a national organisation that unites all Ugandans to do what is good and to resist what is wrong,” she added.
Maama Janet said the NRM has for decades taught Ugandans patriotism, discipline and collective responsibility.
She noted that even children are learning to protect their schools and grow up understanding the value of national unity.
The First Lady thanked residents for turning up in large numbers, saying their presence showed commitment to a stronger and more peaceful country.
She cautioned Namayingo not to take Uganda’s peace for granted, especially as refugees flee to Uganda from neighbouring countries in conflict.
She urged them to continue supporting President Museveni and the NRM so that Uganda remains stable and continues developing.
President Museveni recalled Namayingo’s turbulent past during the same rally. “This area has seen hard times,” he said.
He remembered being confronted by Idi Amin’s soldiers near Musita during the liberation struggle. “That road was once a battlefield, I remember being stopped by Amin’s soldiers,” he said.
“When they tried to cause trouble, my colleague acted quickly and the whole group fled,” he added.
He noted that returning to a former battlefield and finding a smooth tarmac road showed how far the country has come.
“Today all that is history,” he said as he urged residents to safeguard the peace that has allowed government to deliver development.
Museveni praised Namayingo for expanding its health services. He noted the district has one HCIV and eight HCIIIs across 11 sub-counties. Government has committed to upgrade Mutumba and Sigulu to HCIV.
It will also elevate Lugala and Mulombi to HCIII. Buyinja HCIV now has a digital X-ray machine and radiologist. Bukooli South HCIV has four doctors and an ambulance.
In education, Namayingo has 84 government and 129 private primary schools.Thirty-one of the district’s 50 parishes have at least one government primary school. The district also has seven government secondary schools offering USE and UPOLET. These schools serve 4,958 students.
The President encouraged residents to adopt the Four-Acre Model to move from subsistence to prosperity.
“One acre for coffee, one for fruits, one for food crops and one for pasture and livestock,” he said.
He said households should keep livestock and use small spaces for poultry, piggery or fish farming.
He also handed over NRM flags to aspiring MPs, LC V chairperson, councillors and other candidates.
Namayingo District NRM Chairperson Mr. Raymond Mugisa thanked the government for supporting the district as its population grows to 266,716 people.
He highlighted that Shs 15.3 billion has been disbursed to 15,409 households.
He said the district hosts 54 Emyooga SACCOs with 2,161 beneficiaries supported with Shs 1.3 billion.
Safe water coverage now stands at 71 percent, with 218 of 306 villages accessing clean water.
The district has drilled boreholes, protected springs and installed piped systems in Namayingo Town Council, Sigulu and Bumalenge. More water projects are underway on Lolwe Island, Bukana and Singila.
Electricity now reaches seven of the 11 sub-counties. More connections are planned for the next kisanja. Solar-powered irrigation schemes in Dohwe and Mulwanda are boosting modern farming.
Additional 12-acre demonstration sites are planned in Namahuhuni, Butanira and Buhobi.
NRM First National Vice Chairperson Al-Haji Moses Kigongo urged leaders to maintain unity and discipline. He warned against divisive politics.
First Deputy Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga thanked the people of Namayingo for consistently supporting the NRM. She encouraged them to remain committed to development efforts.
The rally was attended by NRM CEC members, MPs, religious leaders, cultural leaders and thousands of supporters.