By Mulengera Reporters
During the Candidate Yoweri Museveni’s Saturday rally at St. Leos College Kabura Grounds, Minister Victoria Rusoke spoke in her capacity as the ruling NRM party chairperson for Kabarole district.
Rusoke, whose speech was preceded by that of NRM Western region Vice Chairman Asiimwe Jonard and 2nd National Vice Chairperson Anita Among who invited the Presidential Candidate to deliver his address, enumerated the great things the Tooro sub region had registered and the people working day and night for Museveni’s retention. These included businessmen, the clergy, political and security leaders including ex-ISO DG Gen Ronnie Balya, currently serving as Uganda’s Ambassador to Sudan.
Reflecting on the key accomplishments like Buhinga Stadium, Fort Portal being granted City status, ongoing public roads infrastructure projects, unprecedented NRM cohesion that has resulted into primary elections losers rallying behind flag bearers instead of standing as independents and NUP candidates stepping down to defect to NRM, Rusoke assured a visibly relaxed Gen Museveni that Tooro sub region will be voting him back with up to 98%. She assured this was achievable because opposition has never been weaker and more disenchanted in the sub region than is the case today.
Besides defectors like NUP candidates such as Burahya’s Ronald Muhumuza and Fort Portal Central Division’s Joseph Baguma (who stepped down for Joseph Mugenyi & Alex Ruhunda respectively), Museveni’s campaign tour in the region was boosted by the decision by Presidential Candidate Mubarak Munyagwa’s father Mzee Haruna Sserunga to publicly campaign for the NRM candidate.
Mzee Sserunga implored fellow residents in the sub region to stick to the old man with the hat. Reminiscing him to be his old comrade in the pre-1986 struggles, Gen Museveni even took Mzee Sserunga’s phone number while promising to urgently reach out to him for a more detailed discussion to see how the two can collaborate more to accelerate prosperity among veterans in the sub region.
Other key defectors, whose switching demoralized foot soldiers and created bad publicity for the opposition on the eve of the NUP Presidential Candidate’s Tuesday visit in the region, included musician John K Kahwa and Fortunate Kwikiriza who the Kavule-based political party had fronted for the positions of Fort Portal Central Division Mayor and Northern Division Mayor respectively.
The duo joins Rubaga South MP’s wife Lillian Kobugabe who the NUP had fronted for Kabarole City Woman MP seat but pulled out at the last minute and declared support for NRM’s Pamela Kirungi (a good friend to Local Government Minister Raphael Magyezi) who went on to become the new area Woman MP (2026-2031) unopposed. She has been serving as treasury officer for Fort Portal City Council.
NUP overall coordinator for Tooro Davis Rwamuhumbu says they aren’t bothered about what he calls traitors who defected to NRM because “the popular support, which makes us People Power, resides among the ordinary masses and that remains intact.”
In fact, Rwamuhumbu says that those who defected have since diminished their political relevance in the Fort Portal community because the ordinary voters felt betrayed, are very angry and will never forgive their leaders who fell for the Museveni groceries, which Rwamuhumbu says were channeled to them through UPDF Land Forces Commander Gen Kayanja Muhanga. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
