By Aggrey Kale
A new nationwide survey has painted a familiar picture of Uganda’s political landscape ahead of the 2026 presidential elections, showing President YK Museveni in a commanding position with a projected 70% lead, largely anchored in rural areas that have reaped from government livelihood programs.
Conducted by the Pulse256 Youth Insights Network (PYIN) between 1st and 10th October 2025, the poll controversially reveals that Museveni’s main headache-giver, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) of the National Unity Platform (NUP), falls far behind with 20%, while other contenders, including Nandala Mafabi (FDC), Mugisha Muntu (ANT), and Munyagwa Mubarak (CMP), collectively share less than 10% of the national vote intention.
The report describes Uganda’s rural voter base as the “engine room of incumbency,” noting that over 76% of rural respondents intend to vote NRM, a testament to the reach of the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, and other community-based financial schemes.
In regions such as Western Uganda, Museveni commands between 80–85% support, while in West Nile, his approval remains strong at about 72%, largely attributed to what researchers termed “trade and security advantage.”
Urban areas, on the other hand, remain the hotbed of opposition enthusiasm, with the NUP polling 40% against NRM’s 48%. However, the report says that while the urban protest energy burns bright, it is too concentrated within the Kampala–Wakiso belt to meaningfully alter the national balance.
The findings illustrate a sharp divide between Uganda’s rural patience and urban restlessness.
“The youth in towns want change, but here we want stability because life is improving slowly,” one respondent from Gulu told field researchers, according to the report.
PYIN analysts describe this contrast as the story of “two Ugandas,” one driven by livelihood survival, and the other by ideological aspiration.
Behind Museveni’s solid showing lies a matrix of tangible achievements that resonate with everyday voters. From road construction and rural electrification to industrial parks and expanded air connectivity, the report says voters see physical evidence of progress.
Uganda’s tarmacked road network has grown sixfold since 1986, while electricity generation now exceeds 2,000 MW.
Eleven industrial parks are fully operational, and 19 presidential skilling hubs are training thousands of youth in trades like tailoring and metalwork.
On the social front, government-backed programs have helped push poverty rates down from 21.4% in 2016 to 16.1% in 2025, while life expectancy has risen to 68 years, figures the poll credits for reinforcing the “stability and continuity” narrative that drives the NRM’s appeal.
When asked what they value most in leadership, 72% of respondents cited peace and steady livelihoods as their top priorities, while only 18% said they desired a complete change of leadership.
Despite Kyagulanyi’s magnetic appeal among young, urban voters, the report says his movement still lacks the structural depth to translate social-media activism into broad, rural mobilization. The study characterizes the NUP’s base as “energetic but demographically narrow,” while describing NRM’s as “predictable, organized, and embedded.”
If elections were held today, the poll suggests a decisive first-round victory for President Museveni, fueled by consistent rural trust and government social programs. PYIN concludes that unless there’s a major shift in urban mobilization or national sentiment, the 2026 vote will reaffirm the stability-continuity impact of NRM rule. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
