KALANGALA – The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Director of Communication and Publicity, Hon. Emmanuel Lumala Dombo, has rallied voters in Kalangala District to support the party’s flag bearer while appreciating President Yoweri Museveni for introducing oil palm trees growing in the district.
Dombo joined NRM mobilisation teams on Buggala Island, where he met residents at Kaazi-Malanga Landing Site in Bujumba Sub-county to canvass support for the party candidate, Idah Nabayiga.
Addressing the gathering at the landing site, Dombo said he had come to seek support for the NRM flagbearer and expressed gratitude to the community for its continued support of the party.
“We are here looking for votes for the NRM flag bearer. We are very happy about the assurances given by the people because, in the general elections, they voted for the NRM,” Dombo said.
He noted that local leaders, including Members of Parliament and other officials, had reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the NRM, which he said reflected the unity within the party.
During the meeting, residents raised concerns about challenges affecting the fishing sector, access to clean water, and the conduct of some local leaders.
In response, Dombo assured the community that the party leadership would engage with them to find solutions to the issues raised.
“We shall come back here and work together with them in order to improve how they relate and determine what government should do about the fishing sector,” he said.
In a candid reflection, Dombo admitted that during his tenure in Parliament, he was misled by the former Rubaga South MP Hon. Ken Lukyamuzi to strongly oppose President Museveni’s proposal to introduce oil palm cultivation in Kalangala.
According to Dombo, critics of the initiative had warned that clearing land for oil palm plantations would lead to environmental degradation and eventually turn the district into a desert.
“If President Museveni comes to Ssese, I will apologize to him,” Dombo said. “On our behalf, led by Mr. Lukyamuzi, we are going to apologize to the President for fighting his initiative of palm oil growing.”
He acknowledged that their fears had not materialised and that the oil palm project had instead transformed livelihoods in the district.
“Since the palm oil came, haven’t lives improved?” Dombo asked the residents.
Turning to the forthcoming elections, Dombo urged voters to align their parliamentary representation with the district’s overwhelming support for the NRM.
“In the General Elections, NRM already got a landslide victory, so why send an opposition MP? To do what there?” he asked. “Can you send a pork butcher to a Sheikh? That’s a waste of time. God blessed us with reasoning capacity, so let us use it to send the correct legislator to lobby for us and secure what we want.”
Using a transport analogy, Dombo called for unity behind the ruling party’s candidates.
“I want to request you that we are entering a bus whose driver is NRM; let’s get him yellow passengers and conductors,” he said.
He also appealed to party supporters to embrace individuals returning from opposition parties, particularly the National Unity Platform (NUP), and encourage them to recruit more people to the NRM.
“Treat those who are returning from NUP as family members,” Dombo urged. “Don’t insult them. Work with them to ensure that they bring us more converts.”
He emphasized the importance of unity and collective efforts in advancing the development aspirations of the people of Kalangala through continued support for the NRM.
Earlier, Dombo was also in other parishes, including Dajje and Buyiri spreading the same message.
