As the 2026 elections draw closer, National Resistance Movement (NRM) leaders in Kawempe Division have renewed their call for President Yoweri Museveni to establish a dedicated skilling centre to support ghetto youth struggling with unemployment and limited opportunities.
Kampala has only two skilling hubs in Mutundwe and Nakulabye all in Rubaga Division.
The appeal was made on November 13, 2026, during a meeting with village and parish party structures near Bilal Primary School, where Kawempe Division NRM chairperson and Kawempe South flagbearer Madina Nsereko said a large number of young people in the area are school dropouts with no employable skills.
Nsereko revealed that the party’s grassroots teams will take the lead in identifying youth who dropped out of school and registering them for training.
She also encouraged local council leaders to form Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOs) so that government can easily channel support, similar to past interventions for boda boda riders, mechanics, and vendors, to uplift livelihoods.
At the same event, NRM Deputy Secretary General, Rose Namayanja Nsereko flagged off the division’s lower structures to begin intensive, door-to-door mobilisation for President Museveni and NRM candidates ahead of the 2026 polls.
In a shift from previous campaign cycles, President Museveni has directed that village structures take charge of voter engagement.
Namayanja argued that earlier efforts relied too heavily on outside mobilisers.
“Votes are not at the party headquarters or district offices, votes are in the villages,” she added.
The presidential race will see Museveni face off seven other challengers, including: Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu of the National Unity Platform, Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Gregory Mugisha Muntu (ANT), Nandala Mafabi (FDC), Mubarak Munyagwa (Common Man’s Party), Frank Bulira Kabinga (Revolutionary People’s Party), Joseph Mabirizi (Conservative Party), and Kasibante Robert (National Peasants Party).
Namayanja praised the grassroots strategy as the most effective way to connect with “real voters”.
She said the party is prepared to counter any attempts to disrupt the electoral process.
She also argued that NRM’s achievements, particularly in health infrastructure, urban road upgrades, and poverty-alleviation programmes, are often downplayed by the selfish opposition politicians.
She cited the establishment of three referral hospitals in Kampala including: Naguru, Kiruddu, and Kawempe, which she said have eased the burden on Mulago National Specialised Referral Hospital.
She also argued that the transformation of formerly dusty city roads into tarmacked networks reflects tangible progress under NRM.
Namayanja urged leaders to champion government wealth-creation programmes, including the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, the Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Programme, and the Youth Livelihood Programme, saying many residents remain unaware of the opportunities available.
“Some opposition politicians don’t want development because they use the same situation to seek votes,” she said, calling for unity within the party and urging voters to support both President Museveni and all NRM flagbearers.
State House Comptroller Jane Barekye, who attended the meeting, pledged to push for the establishment of a Kawempe Skilling Centre after elections, noting that similar centres have helped young people secure employment and start businesses. She emphasised that skilling is central to President Museveni’s mission of reducing unemployment.
She instructed village leaders to conduct house-to-house assessments to ensure residents are benefiting from government programmes.
“You are the President’s foot soldiers. Follow up on all government programmes and ensure your people benefit,” Barekye told the leaders.
The meeting drew senior NRM figures, flagbearers, and grassroots leaders from across Kawempe.
The mobilisation strategy launched in Kawempe is part of a wider rollout across Kampala’s five divisions, Rubaga, Makindye, Central, Nakawa, and Kawempe, as the ruling party intensifies its push for votes in the capital ahead of 2026.
