President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has expressed strong concern over what he described as a persistent and “illogical” imbalance in the distribution of government primary and secondary schools across several districts in Busoga Sub-Region, calling on local leaders to correct what he said was undermining equitable access to education.

Speaking while campaigning in Kaliro District on Tuesday, 18 November 2025, President Museveni, who is also the NRM presidential flag bearer, said he was disturbed by reports showing that despite the existence of a clear national policy, some parishes have multiple government schools while others have none. He said the trend reflects either negligence or deliberate failure by district leaders to align school construction to population and administrative units.

President Museveni, who was accompanied by First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Kataaha Museveni, told supporters that he had reviewed district-level data for both Kaliro and Bugweri and found the same discrepancies repeating themselves across Busoga.

According to figures presented to the President, Kaliro District has 89 government primary schools and 132 private primary schools. However, the district’s 87 parishes do not benefit equally from the public schools.

Only 38 parishes have at least one government primary school, while 49 parishes - more than half have none.

He said this violates the government’s own long-standing education distribution policy, which requires at least one government primary school in every parish and one government secondary school in every sub-county.

“The leaders need to be strict here. The 89 government primary schools are located in only 38 parishes, leaving 49 parishes without a single government school. The NRM chairperson and the District Education Officer should be very strict about this,” he said.

“Don’t allow more government primary schools in a parish when other parishes don't have any.”

President Museveni said such irrational distribution patterns deny children in underserved parishes an equal chance to access free primary education, a key pillar of the NRM’s social transformation agenda.

Earlier in Bugweri District, the President raised similar concerns after learning that the district has 54 government primary schools serving 46,876 pupils, yet 11 out of its 37 parishes have no school at all.

“This one, please sort it out as leaders,” the President warned, saying the National policy requires one government school per parish and one government secondary school per sub-county.

He said it was unacceptable that some parishes hosted two or more schools while others had none, insisting that leaders must prioritise equitable distribution rather than political lobbying.

He also hinted that moving forward, education infrastructure allocation would increasingly be tied to the strict observance of this policy.

On the status of secondary school education in Kaliro, President Museveni said the district currently has nine government secondary schools offering both Universal Secondary Education (USE) and Universal Post O-level Education and Training (UPOLET), with a total enrolment of 9,047 students. This is complemented by 26 private secondary schools.

But out of the 15 sub-counties in the district, only eight have government secondary schools, leaving seven without.

Candidate Museveni said the situation would improve soon because the government is constructing four Seed Secondary Schools in Kaliro district, which will reduce the number of sub-counties without government schools from seven to three.

He described this as a remarkable improvement compared to the past:

“When I was at Ntare School, many boys from Busoga came because there were only three boys’ A-Level schools and three girls’ A-Level schools in all of Uganda. So, when I come here and find that Kaliro has nine secondary schools today, some with A-Level, I feel very happy,” he said.

Sabotaging Free Education:

The President used the rally to criticize head teachers and local school administrators who continue sending children away for fees, including USE and UPE beneficiaries.

He reminded the crowd that he introduced Universal Primary Education in 1996, followed by USE, to ensure that every Ugandan child studies free of charge in government schools.

Yet, he said, many schools continue to charge illegal fees, leading to massive dropout numbers, especially among rural children.

“Up to now, many children are sent away for school fees, and many end up dropping out,” President Museveni said.

“That is why I started 19 skilling hubs across the country, to demonstrate peacefully that free education is possible, and that even those who dropped out can acquire skills and start earning.”

The Presidential Skilling Hub, located in Jinja, offers free six-month hands-on courses in carpentry, tailoring, welding, construction, automotive mechanics, weaving, baking, plumbing, and electrical installation.

President Museveni said some of the products being made by trainees—such as shoes, clothes, chairs, and liquid soap—are of competitive quality and reduce the need for imports.

“I’m tired of unnecessary conflicts because of the issue of free education,” he said, pledging to push for full enforcement of free education in the next term.

“In the next kisanja, we must all agree that all children should study for free in government schools,” H.E. Museveni said.

The President spent part of his speech outlining the NRM’s seven major contributions to Uganda, as highlighted in the 2026–2031 manifesto. He said Uganda’s transformation began with the restoration of peace, unity, and security after decades of conflict and sectarian divisions.

“NRM has been able to bring peace where there was war and conflict and also bring about unity in Uganda instead of sectarianism,” Gen. Museveni stated.

He listed improvements in roads, water systems, electricity, health centres, and schools as evidence of continued government investment. In Busoga, he said the government has repaired the Iganga–Kaliro road twice and now plans to construct additional routes.

“But now we need to build a road from Kamuli-Kaliro up to Pallisa, described as Kamuli-Kagulu-Lyingo-ilundu-Kaliro (90km), and also tarmac the road from Kamuli-Kaliro- Namwiwa- Buyuge up to Pallisa. Those are the roads we need to do,” President Museveni assured.

Regarding electricity, President Museveni learnt that out of Kaliro’s 15 sub-counties, 10 are currently connected to electricity. He promised that in the next term, the government will extend power to Namwiwa, Bulumba Town Council, Buyinda, Kisinda, and Nawaikoke.

On health infrastructure, President Museveni observed that out of 15 Sub-Counties in Kaliro, 1 has an HCIV in Bulamogi Constituency with 3 Doctors. He said 9 sub-counties have HCIIIs, meaning 5 Sub-Counties do not have any Health Facility of either an HCIII, HCIV, or a hospital.

He announced plans to upgrade Kaliro HCII in Kaliro Town Council to an HCIII, and construct New HCIIIs in Bulumba Town Council, Nansololo, Namwiwa, and Nawaikoke Sub-Counties.

“We need to upgrade one of the health centers to a district hospital and also build health center IV in the other constituency, which doesn’t have one,” President Museveni said

Shifting to household income and wealth creation, the President drew a sharp contrast between development and wealth, explaining that while development projects are government-led and benefit all Ugandans, wealth creation is personal, as is poverty.

“There are tarmac roads from Kaliro to Iganga for a long time but do the people who are on that road sleep on it at night? You can’t say that because the road is good, let me sleep here. You sleep at your home like me at Kityerera in Mayuge. Development is ours, but wealth is yours,” he said.

He urged families to pursue the four-acre model, which he introduced in 1996, as the most practical pathway to rural prosperity.

“We told you to allocate one acre to coffee, another to pasture for zero-grazing cows, a third to fruits, and a fourth to food crops, with pigs and poultry in the backyard and fish farming for those near the swampy areas,” President Museveni said adding that a few Ugandans who picked this message are doing well such as a one Basangwa in Kamuli who started a poultry farm on his 100 by 50 piece of land. Basangwa collects 1000 trays of eggs per day, and sells them 20,000 shillings each, approximately 20 million shillings per day.

He also illustrated this using success stories such as George Matongo of Ngoma, Nakaseke, who earns Shs 21 million monthly from milk sales.

“This man is not educated, but when we sensitized them, they changed. He is now selling 900 liters of milk per day and gets 21 million shillings a month. He has built a good house and educated his children yet is very far- about 70 miles from a tarmac road,” President Museveni said.

He also cited his own Barlege Model Farm in Lira, where a single fishpond measuring 20×50 metres brings in Shs 100 million annually, with Shs 70 million profit.

President Museveni was happy to see that, apart from sugarcane growing for sugar processing, the Basoga have stepped up efforts to cultivate food crops such as cassava.

“I want to congratulate the people of Busoga. When I’m traveling in these areas, I see a lot of cassava. Cassava is good for food but also a raw material for industrial growth and is used to make starch,” he said.

President Museveni said the NRM government continues expanding manufacturing and agro-industrialization, citing Sino-Mbale Industrial Park with 75 factories, and Namanve Industrial Park in Wakiso with 273 factories employing more than 44,000 workers.

He said that with a government workforce of only 480,000 against a population of 50 million, industrial growth remains the only sustainable path for mass job creation.

“If people tell you that NRM has done nothing and yet those factories are there, then you are either sick or do not know what you are talking about.”

He asked supporters to renew the NRM's mandate in 2026 so that the party can “finish the work already started.”

“So, with these, I ask you to vote for NRM. Vote for the old man with a hat and all NRM flag bearers,” President Museveni appealed.

Addressing reports of irregularities in NRM primaries in Kaliro, the President said he had assigned NRM 1st National Vice Chairperson Al-Hajj Moses Kigongo to handle the matter. He insisted that any malpractice in vote counting, voter bribery, or false declaration of results would attract criminal penalties.

“The primaries were done by lining up in broad daylight. If someone counted voters and declared another person, we shall investigate. Even if the winner is already a Member of Parliament, we shall act. It is a crime,” the NRM candidate said.

He urged local members to submit facts to facilitate a clear investigation.

Speaking earlier, First Lady Janet Museveni said the crowds in Kaliro showed commitment to building a peaceful and united Uganda.

“Standing here in this heat, but making sure that we are all here, is a price we must pay to build a strong homeland,” she said.

“When voting day comes, vote for the President and vote for the NRM.”

She praised residents for supporting peace and development efforts over the years.

Several top NRM leaders addressed the rally, calling for unity and proposing new priorities for Busoga.

Al-Hajj Kigongo warned leaders against internal bickering.

“As leaders in Busoga, we should stop the infighting. We are all in the bus and must be united,” he said.

First Deputy Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga thanked Kaliro residents for the warm reception, noting that the district had shown exceptional turnout for the President.

Mr. Gagawala Wambuzi, Kaliro NRM Chairperson, thanked the President for government programs such as PDM and the Youth and Women Funds, which he said had benefited the district.

He raised several local demands, including the establishment of a district hospital, the construction of health centres for all sub-counties without HCIIIs, a new district administration block, the creation of Kaliro Municipality, the revival of the Busoga Cooperative Union to boost cotton production, and compensation for Lakwena War victims in the district.

He also called an end to the 5% deductions imposed on sugarcane farmers by millers, contrary to a presidential directive, while pledging that the Balamogi would deliver 90% of the votes for President Museveni in the 2026 elections.

Thousands attended the rally, including ministers, senior NRM leaders, Members of Parliament, NRM Secretariat officials led by the Secretary-General, and former Vice President Dr. Specioza Wandira Kazibwe.