RACE 4 STATE HOUSE! Maama Janet begs youth to vote for peace as M7 combs Nebbi

Nebbi — First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Museveni, has called upon Ugandans, especially the youth, to vote for peace and stability as the country heads toward the 2026 general elections.

Addressing a rally in Nebbi District where she accompanied President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on his campaign trail on Saturday, Maama Janet urged voters to treasure the peace Uganda currently enjoys, warning against taking it for granted.

“Every one of us who has a vote has a responsibility to vote for a peaceful Uganda,” she said, adding that some of the older citizens still remember the dark days when Uganda was engulfed in violence and instability.

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She reminded the crowd that peace is the foundation of development and prosperity, emphasizing that if Ugandans mishandle the peace they enjoy, there will be no other homeland to turn to.

“Development, prosperity, transformation — all that builds on peace and freedom in our land if we maintain it,” she said.

“Please remember, you have a responsibility to your family, to your district, and to your country to ensure that peace and freedom remain in Uganda. And God is using the NRM in this season to fight for that freedom and peace.”

President Museveni, who is also the NRM Presidential Flag Bearer, reiterated that Uganda’s peace and stability stem from the NRM’s inclusive ideology and rejection of sectarian politics.

“NRM has been active on the Ugandan scene for the last 65 years,” Museveni said.

“The reason there is peace in Uganda today is because we don’t believe in sectarianism — not of religion, not of tribe, and not of gender. We value every citizen equally.”

He explained that before independence, political parties were divided along religious and tribal lines, which made it impossible for any group to achieve a national majority. It was this divisive politics, he said, that led Uganda into years of instability.

“By 1965, we had seen the danger of sectarianism and said no, this is very dangerous,” the President said.

“That is how we started the youth study groups, which eventually became the NRM.”

Museveni praised the NRM’s ideology of patriotism and Pan-Africanism, which, he said, helped unite Ugandans and build strong national institutions such as the army, police, and civil service — institutions that serve the whole country without discrimination.

The President also highlighted progress in the education sector, citing the growing number of government schools in Nebbi District compared to the situation in the early 1960s when northern and eastern Uganda had no A-level schools.

“In 1961, there were only three A-level schools in the whole country,” he recalled. “Today, Nebbi alone has eight government secondary schools, most of them offering A-level. This shows how far we have come.”

He reaffirmed government commitment to improving infrastructure and social services in the West Nile sub-region, including expanding roads and ensuring access to quality education for all children.