Uganda Decides 2026: Kyagulanyi Storms Busoga, Vows Value-Addition Factories to End Farmer Exploitation

By: Lawrence Mubiru 

Namutumba/Bugweri, Uganda – October 2, 2025 – National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, better known as Bobi Wine, has pledged to lift Ugandan farmers out of poverty by establishing value-addition factories if elected president in 2026.

Speaking during campaign rallies in Namutumba and Bugweri districts on Thursday, Kyagulanyi said his government would prioritize farmers who, despite being the backbone of Uganda’s economy, remain trapped in poverty due to low farm-gate prices and exploitation by middlemen.

“If elected, we shall build value-addition factories across the country to process raw materials locally. This will raise farmers’ incomes, create jobs, and reduce poverty,” he told cheering supporters.

Taking Aim at Government Neglect

In Bugweri, Kyagulanyi pointed to idle industrial sites such as the Bulumba cotton ginnery as evidence of what he described as decades of government neglect under the ruling NRM. He urged Busoga residents to use their vote as a protest against this continued abandonment.

“Busoga must send a clear message to those who have neglected you for decades,” Kyagulanyi said.

Condemning Abductions

Accompanied by NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya, Kyagulanyi also condemned the recent abduction of Kenyan activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Ayoo, who had been volunteering with his campaign. He said their disappearance fits into a broader pattern of intimidation targeting opposition voices.

Warm Welcome in Busoga

The rallies attracted massive turnouts, with supporters lining roads to wave and chant as the NUP leader passed. In Namutumba, Kyagulanyi also opened a new NUP district office, cementing the party’s grassroots presence in the region.

With Busoga battling high unemployment and poverty, the sub-region has become a critical battleground in the 2026 elections—and Kyagulanyi is making it a central plank of his campaign trail.