Karenga District, Karamoja Sub-region – The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Presidential Candidate, General Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, has pledged to fast-track the implementation of key hospitality and infrastructure development initiatives in Karenga District, including the operationalization of an international airport at Kidepo National Game Park.
Speaking during his presidential campaign rally at Jubilee 2000 Secondary School in Karenga District, President Museveni said these projects are part of broader efforts to promote economic growth, job creation, and wealth generation for the people of Karenga and the entire Karamoja Sub-region.
The President noted that several major road construction projects are already underway, including the Kitgum–Namukora and Moroto–Katido roads, which traverse the Karenga area. He urged residents to prepare to take advantage of the ongoing and upcoming development interventions in their region.
Commends Peace and Stability in Karamoja
Museveni commended the leaders and people of Karenga and the entire Karamoja Sub-region for their cooperation in the government’s disarmament program, which he said has ushered in peace, stability, and a new wave of development.
He emphasized that the NRM government’s efforts to disarm the Karamojong have restored order and curtailed the once-prevalent cattle rustling. The President noted that some misguided individuals had previously lured young people into cattle theft, destabilizing the area for personal gain.
“There used to be a market for stolen cows, especially in Kalerwe, Kampala. People were buying them cheaply. If it was your own cow, you would bargain—but stolen cows were sold at low prices,” Museveni explained. “I want to thank the army, patriotic Karamojong, and local leaders who helped expose this fraud.”
He further commended women’s movements in Karamoja for supporting the government’s disarmament initiative despite opposition from those who argued that disarmament should only happen simultaneously in Turkana (Kenya) and Ethiopia.
“I said I am not here to disarm the whole of Africa,” Museveni stated. “Some people wanted to maintain a ‘balance of terror’ where armed groups in different countries kill each other. I refused to be part of that criminality.”
Focus on Population Growth and Social Development
Museveni observed that peace and improved health services have led to population growth in Karenga, contrasting sharply with the insecurity and disease that plagued the area decades ago.
“When I came to campaign in the 1980s, the entire Karamoja population was about 190,000. Now things have changed. Development is coming,” he said. “Development has two parts: economic infrastructure—such as roads, electricity, schools, and health centers—and social transformation.”
The President assured residents that his government will continue expanding education and health infrastructure in the district. He promised to increase the number of primary and secondary schools and eliminate school charges in government institutions.
Commitment to Continued Peace and Modernization
Museveni vowed to ensure that armed groups never resurface in Karamoja, pledging continued presence of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) to safeguard peace and support development programs.
He encouraged residents to abandon nomadism and adopt modern cattle-rearing practices, citing examples from other transformed areas along Uganda’s cattle corridor where wealth creation initiatives have succeeded.
The NRM presidential candidate urged the people of Karenga to embrace government empowerment programs, especially the Parish Development Model (PDM), to uplift household incomes and drive sustainable economic growth.
“The Parish Development Model is your opportunity to move from subsistence to commercial production,” Museveni said. “Use these funds to create wealth and transform your lives.”
In Uganda, sometimes poverty is voluntary, yet the NRM is begging you—please, get out of poverty,” the President said, referring to citizens who do not embrace government programmes geared towards wealth creation such as Emyooga, the Parish Development Model (PDM), Operation Wealth Creation, and others. He appealed to the people of Karenga to also adopt commercial farming.
Museveni concluded by rallying the people of Karenga District and the Karamoja Sub-region to continue supporting the NRM for sustained peace, stability, and development.
“We have achieved peace and are building the infrastructure for prosperity,” he said. “Let us continue this journey together for a better Karamoja and a better Uganda.”
