Rukungiri- Despite Rukungiri district being the Genesis and well known as a stronghold for opposition parties, the trend significantly changed in the recently concluded 2026 general elections.
President Yoweri Museveni and his national resistance movement (NRM) party scooped majority votes in the district in the just concluded presidential and parliamentary elections
Unlike in 2010, 2016, 2021 general elections respectively, the Opposition ( Fdc party ) won some parliamentary seats but this time around, the NRM party has won all the four seats.
In the 2010 general elections, the opposition (FDC Party) won only 1 parliamentary seat for Rukungiri municipality and the rest were taken by the ruling NRM party. In 2016, opposition won 3 seats and they were for Rujumbura county, Rukungiri municipality, and the district woman mp. The ruling NRM party won only one seat of Rubabo County while in 2021 elections, NRM won 3 seats of Rujumbura, Rukungiri municipality and district woman mp while the one Of Rubabo was taken by opposition ( Fdc party).
However in the recently concluded 2026 general elections the situation has completely changed because opposition did not score even a single seat, a thing that can’t define the future of opposition in the district.
In the 2016 general elections President Museveni got 47%, Dr. Kizza Besigye, the then FDC party flag bearer got 60% while the rest shared the remaining in Rukungiri district. In 2021 general elections, President Museveni got 71 %
In the Rukungiri district’s outgoing council, Opposition had only one representative while NRM party had 31 and the district chairperson seat was also won by NRM Party.
In the recently concluded local council elections NRM won 27 councillors seats, PFF party 5 seats while in the lower local government elections, NRM won 14 seats, PFF took 2 while independents won 1 seat for both sub- counties. Division chairpersons and town councils.
In the Municipal council elections, NRM won the Rukungiri municipal Mayorship race for the first time since its creation in 2010 and out of 20 municipal councilors, NRM won 14 while PFF won 6 seats.
Some of the key areas in the district that rendered the president and the party sleepless nights in the previous elections included Rubabo and Rukungiri municipality but this time round the president Museveni and his party NRM won in all these areas with a margin of over 60% despite the low voter turn up and a lot of voter bribery in many parts of the district as said by voters.
What helped president Museveni, NRM Party?
The major factors that helped president Museveni and his Party to win Rukungiri massively are the change of mindset by voters, the collapse of FDC, Dr. Besigye’s failure to run for presidency, strong mobilization, divisionism among opposition members, security stability, water and electricity extension, improved road network within the district, the coming of Rtd.Lt Gen.Henry Tumukunde among others.
Over years, Dr. Besigye was the only issue as to why people of Rukungiri would vote for opposition but his decision of not contesting again as the president of Uganda played a vital role towards the collapse and down fall of opposition in Rukungiri , people could vote for him because he was their son and they expected a lot from him.
The Rukungiri district NRM Party chairperson and the MP elect for Rujumbura county at the same time the minister of Security Rtd. Maj. Gen. Jim Muhwezi attributed the party’s massive win to strong and grass root mobilization.
‘’ This time we invested a lot of time and resources in grass root mobilization because we wanted to upset the opposition from Rukungiri. It is from this point that I want to thank the people of Rukungiri for listening to what we told them because we asked to vote for president Museveni and NRM Party flag bearers’’. Minister Muhwezi said in a phone interview with our reporter.
Muhwezi also attributed the party’s progressiveness in the district to the visible achievements attained by NRM.
“Before NRM came to power, there was poor education and health systems, poor road network, poverty was at its apex, insecurity among others but nowadays , people are now are accessing free education and health services because the NRM government has at least constructed schools and health centers at almost every sub- county level”. Muhwezi said.
Muhwezi added that “there is peace and stability in the country that allows every Ugandan to settle down and work for development thus chasing poverty saying that in previous regimes, people could spend much of their time in wars meaning that there was no time for development. Where peace is, people get time to work hence improved standards of living’’.
The outgoing mp for Rukungiri municipality Dr. Elisa Rutahigwa attributed the NRM’s Overwhelming in the district to various government programs which are aiming at chasing poverty at household levels.
‘’ The recently introduced programs of emyooga and PDM which are meant to eradicate poverty and create wealth for different groups also brought smiles and hope to desperate groups like the youth and ordinary people’’ Dr Rutahigwa said.
He added that ‘’ These two programs helped NRM to win big. Although they are some people who have benefited under this programs but there is still hope that all people will have to benefit because the president has promised to increased PDM money from shs.100 M to 200M and in Emyooga, the president also promised to keep on supporting every Sacco with shs. 20 M every year. All these promises by the president played a great role in the overwhelming win of the NRM Party in Rukungiri district’’.
The Rukungiri district NRM party Vice Chairperson Mr Ambrose Kibuuka said the win for president Museveni and NRM party is a testimony that the people of Rukungiri are yearning for service which they have not earned from supporting opposition neither their son Dr. Kizza Besigye.
‘’ People of Rukungiri wasted a lot of time in supporting opposition because they had some hope of their son Dr Kizza Busigye becoming the president of Uganda which never happened so they have now decided to join the winning team because they badly need services like other Ugandans’’ Mr Kibuuka said.
‘’ The president and his NRM government have been able to offer different programs aimed at fighting poverty among Ugandans such as youth livelihood, operation wealth creation, UWEP , Emyooga and now PDM. These two programs for sure contributed a lot towards wiping out opposition in Rukungiri district.”Kibuuka said.
Kibuuka added that “If it was not strong mobilization and such government programs NRM wouldn’t have performed well in Rukungiri because people should know that it is in Rukungiri were opposition has its deep roots meaning our win was out of war because we almost at war of exchanging words but at the end of the day we were the winners”.
The senior presidential advisor on politics Mr Francis Batinti attributed the NRM party massive win in the district co-operation and reconciliation among the party leaders in the district.
‘’ After party primary elections we held various meetings between the winners of the party primary elections and the losers and we agreed to work together, forgive one another and we focused more on winning the general elections. So co-operation and reconciliation among party leaders helped us as NRM party to out compete opposition in the district.’’ Mr Batinti said.
Mr Paddy Mugisha, a retired religious leader in the church of Uganda and a resident of Bugangari sub- County in Rukungiri district attributed the victory of NRM to numerous development projects that president Museveni and his NRM party initiated in the district.
‘’ The construction of Rukungiri to Kanungu road greatly worked for NRM because this project brought smiles on the faces of Rukungiri people thus massively supporting NRM governments ’’. Mr Mugisha said.
Mr Mugisha added that ‘’ The construction of this road relieved us a lot because apparently traveling to Rukungiri town is very cheap and easy .So as the way of giving back to President Museveni we had to vote for him massively ‘’.
Mr Mugisha added that “The NRM government has done a tremendous job towards the development of Rukungiri district. You see with the introduction of these projects, people have been able to get jobs and support their families with basic needs so developmental projects that were initiated by president museveni and his government played a big role in securing NRM’s win in Rukungiri district, the home of opposition”.
The Bwambara Sub-county NRM Party chairperson Mr Frank attributed to NRM structures which were built from village to national level in the last 20 years also helped the party to ensure victory.
‘’ The party is well structured in the district. These structures played a great role in mobilization for the support of the party and in the end we had to win the district’’. Mr Frank said.
Mr Frank added that ‘‘Mzee had a strong hold on grassroots representatives which the opposition didn’t have so there is no way we can vote for opposition parties that fielded candidates who were not known by voters citing NUP that had no agents in the district’’.
Mr George Tumwine, a Resident of Southern division in Rukungiri municipality attributed the win of NRM party to disunity among the opposition members.
‘’ We failed to cooperate as opposition members. A case in point is in Rukungiri municipality where some opposition people supported Dr Wallen Nuwagabe who was independent but PFF leaning and others supported Ms Kamateneti Ingrid Turinawe of PFF Party. This caused a lot of confusion among the opposition people which in the end helped Gen. Henry Tumukunde of the NRM party won the seat’’. Mr Tumwine said.
He added that ‘’ if the two had co-operated, we would have defeated the NRM party because they badly decampiganed each other ‘’.
Ms Jolly Arinda, a resident of Nyakagyeme sub- county and a representative of women in the district women council attributed the win of NRM Party and president Museveni to Women influence.
‘’ We played a big towards the overwhelming win of NRM party in the district as women because our influence handed a landslide victory for the president because despite the low voter turn up during the voting but majority of the voters that turned up for voting. Women who were seen in lines casting their votes at different polling stations in the district’’. Ms Arinda said.
Ms Agatha Rwabugira, a voter and a resident of Buhunga sub- county said ‘’ I voted president Museveni and the NRM candidates in the district simply because of the freedom the NRM government gave to women saying the previous regimes did not take them as human being but with coming of NRM to the leadership women are also given an opportunity to head men at some working places a thing she said to be promoting equality’’
The Rukungiri district PFF Chairperson Mr Aloyous Mugarara attributed their poor performance to the arrest of the party president Dr Kizza Besigye.
‘’ The arrest of our leader greatly affected our performance as a party because his absence during campaigning time created a vacuum which could not be filled by any person. So the absence of his message gave NRM candidates a chance of conceiving public to support their presidential candidate which people did.’’ Mr Mugararu said.
Mr Mugararu added that ‘’ if Dr Besigye was not arrested he would have competed again for presidency which would have awakened the hopes of Rukungiri of having their son as president of Uganda. So his arrest also affected our performance’’
Mr Junior Ndakwenda, a business man in Rukungiri town said that ‘’ Besigye’s failure to run for presidency is the only and biggest factor that negatively affected the performance of the opposition in Rukungiri district because some of us could vote against him’’.
Ms Mbabzi Musiimenta , another business lady in Rukungiri town also attributed the massive win of the NRM party in the district to the arrest of Dr Besigye.
‘’ During campaigns he could deliver messages that could change people’s mindset not only at the time of voting but also for their whole lives but his arrest and lack of such messages of hope affected the performance of the opposition in that district’’. Ms Musiimenta said.
Mr Billy Mugisha a resident of Nyakagyeme sub- county said “We all voted opposition because of Dr Besigye so his arrest helped NRM party to massively win the district.
Mr Billy added that ‘’ Everyone in Rukungiri used to vote Dr Besigye not opposition because he is our son and we hoped to have president from our district but his decision of not coming again for presidency left us with no option apart from voting President Museveni and his NRM party members’’ .
