Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) and District Internal Security Officers (DISOs) in the Greater Masaka sub-region have been tasked to recover political support for the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.
This directive aims to ensure that the NRM and President Yoweri Museveni emerge stronger in the upcoming 2026 general elections.
Hajji Yunus Kakande, the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the President, emphasized the NRM’s pressing need to regain political ground in the Greater Masaka area.
Speaking during a capacity-building training for RDCs and DISOs in Masaka City on Wednesday, Kakande acknowledged the uphill task ahead, particularly in districts where the NRM’s performance had declined.
He noted that in the 2021 general elections, the NRM and President Museveni struggled in the region, losing several parliamentary seats, including those held by incumbent ministers, to the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP).
Kakande urged the commissioners and intelligence officers to actively engage in efforts to shift the region’s political inclination from its historical support for opposition parties.
Kakande called for deliberate and robust efforts to mobilize communities, including civil servants, to rally support for the NRM and President Museveni.
He also highlighted the importance of addressing prevalent land disputes, which could lead to community tensions and evictions.
Kakande stressed the need for RDCs to prevent situations where occupants on disputed land face forced evictions, advocating for the protection of communities in such scenarios.
It’s true that someone may get a land title on the land, but it has over 500 occupants who have been occupying it for years.
You cannot evict such people and sell the land. That cannot work. It’s up to you to ensure that such people are protected,” he noted.
Kakande also urged the RDCs to curb rampant environmental degradation in the sub-region and ensure efficient service delivery by civil servants in their districts.
Will Bashaaha, the Director of the Manifesto Implementation Unit, emphasized the need for intelligence officers and commissioners to closely monitor the execution of government projects.
He stressed that ensuring value for money is critical to the success of government programs.
However, Jane Francis Kagaayi, the Sembabule Resident District Commissioner, raised concerns about conflicting directives from different government departments, which she argued often complicate the work of RDCs.
She called on the Office of the President to address these issues to prevent confusion in the execution of responsibilities.
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