RACE FOR STATE HOUSE! With peace secured, M7 urges Lamwo to focus on wealth creation

Lamwo – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has rallied the people of Lamwo District to seize the opportunity of lasting peace to build wealth and transform their lives.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Padibe Town Council Wednesday, President Museveni said the time is ripe for communities in Northern Uganda to shift their focus from survival to prosperity.

“Peace is now available — the wars are over. This is the first time in 500 years Uganda has enjoyed such stability,” the President said, noting that the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government has delivered security across regions that once suffered from conflict and cattle rustling. “Now that peace is in place, let us use it to create wealth,” he urged.

The President, who is also the NRM National Chairman and presidential flagbearer, assured residents of continued government support through infrastructure development and wealth creation programs. He pointed to significant strides in education, health, water access, and electricity in Lamwo — a district once marginalized due to insecurity.

Highlighting achievements under the NRM, Museveni said Lamwo now boasts 74 government primary schools and seven government secondary schools. He reaffirmed government plans to ensure every parish has a primary school and every sub-county a secondary school.

On the health front, he credited government interventions for Lamwo’s growing population, now exceeding 200,000, saying it reflects improved health services and reduced child mortality. Additionally, Museveni noted that 82% of Lamwo’s villages now have access to clean water and electricity has reached the district from as far as Lira via Kilak.

Turning to economic empowerment, Museveni emphasized the importance of programs like the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, NAADS, and Entandikwa, calling on residents to actively participate.

“Each parish will receive 100 million shillings annually, plus an extra 15 million for leadership structures. We also have tailored funds for religious and cultural leaders, unemployed graduates, and Boda Boda riders,” he said, encouraging the community to shift from subsistence farming to market-oriented production.

He stressed that the NRM’s development model is rooted in strategic prioritization. “Some people ask for salary increases before roads and electricity, but we must first lay the foundation. Roads, electricity, and peace must come first to unlock economic potential,” Museveni said.

The President also acknowledged expressed condolences to the families of the 46 people who died in a road accident in Kiryandongo on the Kampala-Gulu Highway. He announced support of five million shillings to each bereaved family and one million to the injured, urging Ugandans to drive more cautiously.

Local NRM leaders echoed the President’s message. Lamwo District NRM Chairman, Mr. Odoki Pollycap, thanked Museveni for restoring peace and bringing development to the region. He also presented requests for the district, including the elevation of Palabek to district status, a skilling hub, and the upgrading of Padibe Health Centre IV into a hospital.

Museveni pledged to follow up on the requests and concluded by calling for continued unity behind the NRM.

“You have seen what we have done. Let’s continue together. Lamwo will never be the same again,” he said.