The National Resistance Movement (NRM) has stepped up its campaign machinery in Kalangala ahead of the Woman Member of Parliament by-election, with senior party leaders rallying support for flag bearer Idah Nabayiga as President Yoweri Museveni prepares to join the race with a high-profile visit next week.
Leading the mobilisation drive on Friday, NRM Deputy Secretary Generalized Rose Namayanja Nsereko traversed villages in Mugoye Sub-county, urging voters to back Nabayiga and strengthen the district’s representation within the ruling party’s parliamentary ranks.
Addressing residents in Bumangi and Bugoma villages, Namayanja framed the by-election as a choice between political opposition and direct access to government decision-making, arguing that communities stand to gain more when represented by leaders who can effectively engage state institutions and lobby for development.
She thanked Kalangala residents for their continued support of President Museveni and the NRM, noting that despite the ruling party facing strong competition in Buganda, it remains a formidable political force capable of delivering services and development projects.
Namayanja maintained that development is closely tied to leaders’ ability to influence government planning and budgeting processes, insisting that roads, schools, health facilities, clean water and livelihood programmes are more likely to reach communities whose representatives actively engage with government.
The NRM official also sought to remind voters of Nabayiga’s previous tenure as Woman MP, arguing that several projects initiated during her time in Parliament lost momentum after she left office in 2021.
According to Namayanja, Kalangala would have registered greater progress had Nabayiga remained in the House.
She described the former legislator as an experienced leader with a deep understanding of the unique challenges facing island communities and pledged the ruling party’s full support if she is returned to Parliament.
“The district needs a leader who understands the system and can effectively advocate for its interests at the national level,” Namayanja told supporters, while calling on party members to intensify grassroots mobilisation efforts across the islands.
Kalangala MP William Lugoloobi echoed the message, describing Nabayiga as the missing piece in the district’s NRM parliamentary team.
He argued that her election would strengthen coordination among ruling party leaders from the district and improve their ability to lobby for government-funded projects.
The campaign momentum is expected to peak on Monday (June 22, 2026) when President Museveni visits Kalangala to officially hand over the NRM flag to Nabayiga.
The visit will cap days of village-to-village mobilisation by senior party officials who have camped in the district as the ruling party seeks to tighten its grip on the strategically important island constituency.
The by-election has increasingly become a test of the NRM’s organisational strength in Centra Region (Buganda), with party leaders portraying Nabayiga’s bid as crucial to restoring Kalangala’s voice within the ruling party caucus and accelerating the district’s development agenda.
