Bukedea, Uganda | The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) appears to be tightening its grip on the Teso Sub-region following President Yoweri Museveni’s week-long campaign trail that culminated in a major rally at Emokori Grounds in Bukedea District.
The rally, which drew thousands of supporters, signaled renewed political energy within the NRM as key regional figures including Vice President Jessica Alupo, Eastern Region Vice Chairperson David Calvin Echodu, and Kampala Region Vice Chairperson Salim Uhuru rallied behind the President’s re-election bid.
Echodu described the event as “a new dawn for Teso,” saying the region was shifting decisively toward the NRM after years of political fragmentation.
“The bond between the NRM, the people of Teso and Uganda is unbreakable. This time, Teso is changing — and we shall vote massively for President Museveni,” Echodu said, adding that the party’s message of unity and stability had struck a chord with voters.
Analysts say the President’s deliberate engagement with grassroots structures, combined with visible infrastructure projects and youth-oriented programs, has softened political opposition that once dominated parts of Teso.
Vice President Alupo framed the campaign as part of a broader mission to consolidate Uganda’s economic stability and social transformation under the NRM’s 10-Point Programme.
“Under President Museveni, Uganda has seen peace and progress. The people of Teso must continue to stand firm with the NRM to secure the gains we have made,” she said.
Uhuru, meanwhile, said the opposition had lost ground in the sub-region, insisting that recent mobilisation had revitalised NRM support ahead of 2026.
“The opposition that makes noise in the media is nowhere on the ground,” he told reporters.
The Bukedea rally marked the end of Museveni’s Teso campaign leg before shifting focus to the Bugisu Sub-region – a move political observers view as part of a wider strategy to consolidate NRM’s support base across Eastern Uganda.