Lira, Uganda | Speaker of Parliament and NRM 2nd National Vice Chairperson (Female), Anita Annet Among, urged President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to reconsider offering political support to what she described as opposition politicians who regularly criticise the government despite benefiting from it.
Addressing thousands of NRM leaders and flagbearers at Lango College on Sunday, Among said some politicians who received opportunities and support from the NRM are now attacking the president and the ruling party.
She told the gathering that such behaviour amounted to betrayal and that the party needed to take a firmer stance against what she called political hypocrisy.
Among said, the issue had caused concern among grassroots cadres and emphasised the need to prioritise loyal party mobilisers as the country heads toward the 2026 elections.
She urged residents of Lira City to re-elect Dr Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero, adding that political leaders should respect community roots and boundaries.
She noted that a politician could not, for example, leave her birthplace of Minakulu in Oyam to contest in Lira City, and she expected the same principle from others.
She argued that President Museveni’s ministerial appointment of several leaders from Lango, among them Dr. Aceng, Hamson Obua, Betty Amongi, and MPs serving on key parliamentary committees demonstrated the President’s continued trust in the region.
She also praised the government for raising LCI chairpersons’ monthly pay from 10,000 to 100,000 shillings, saying it addressed long-standing concerns and would strengthen local administration.
She said further arrangements are underway to support NRM party chairpersons to improve oversight of government programmes.
Government Chief Whip and NRM Vice Chairperson for Northern Uganda, Denis Hamson Obua, welcomed the president to what he described as a historic engagement with grassroots party structures.
He said the 2026 general election should provide an opportunity for Lango to demonstrate overwhelming support for the president.
Obua pointed to major government achievements in the subregion, such as Lira University, the Soroti-Lira–Kamdini Road, the upgrade of Lira Regional Referral Hospital, and the construction of Akii-Bua Stadium, as evidence of continued government investment.
He said that mobilisation for 2026 would rely heavily on locol to district NRM chairpersons, whom he referred to as the frontline commanders of the party.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni began his remarks with a moment of silence in honour of the late cultural leader, Won Nyaci Yosam Odur Ebii.
He said the NRM’s first achievement had been the restoration of peace, recalling the instability under Idi Amin and the insurgencies that later affected northern Uganda.
He said collaboration between the NRM, the Arrow Boys, and the Amuka militia had helped stabilise Lango, and he criticised those who moved around making loud claims despite having made no contribution to peace.
On infrastructure, Museveni cited the Soroti–Lira–Kamdini Road and the Rwenkunyu–Lira–Puranga Road as key achievements.
He said the government needed to prioritise projects instead of scattering resources and argued that, much like the army’s need for better weapons before better housing, infrastructural needs required careful sequencing.
Museveni said he intended to send auditors to verify whether districts are using road maintenance funds properly, and he expressed readiness to allocate up to 3 billion shillings per district if it is confirmed that additional support would lead to better-quality roads.
He outlined progress in electrification, disease control, and wealth creation efforts through the Four-Acre Model, EMYOOGA, Youth Livelihood Programme, and the Parish Development Model, noting that 30% of PDM resources were reserved for youth initiatives.
The president also said job creation extended beyond government employment and mentioned that he would review a proposal to place NRM chairpersons on the monthly payroll.
He added that he had accepted a plan proposed by Obua to shorten the travel route between Amolatar, Alebtong, and Otuke through a Dokolo-Bata-Abako-Aloi 43km road connection.
