According to the Electoral Commission’s campaign schedule, Museveni was expected to hold campaign meetings in Kisoro and Entebbe Municipality on Friday.
President Yoweri Museveni has cancelled his presidential campaigns
in Entebbe Municipality to attend National Thanksgiving Prayers at State House.
The prayers are held annually by the Inter-Religious Council.
According to the Electoral Commission’s campaign schedule, Museveni
was expected to hold campaign meetings in Kisoro on Thursday and in Entebbe Municipality on
Friday.
However, Don Wanyama, the Senior Press Secretary to the President, Museveni, says
Museveni will not be campaigning in Entebbe tomorrow, but
instead preside over National Thanksgiving Prayers and will return to the
campaign trail on Saturday in Kabale where he will also meet selected leaders from Kisoro district at Kigezi College Butobere.
His campaign meetings in Entebbe will now be held on December 29th.
Stephen Kabuye, the chairperson NRM Entebbe Branch says that the NRM secretariat and Museveni’s protocol team informed the local
leaders on Wednesday that Museveni would only be presiding over national
prayers in Entebbe.
Kabuye says at the time of the announcement, the leaders in Entebbe were yet to
conclude on activities and venue for presidential campaign meetings.
Some of the NRM leaders who have talked to URN say Museveni's
campaigns meetings could be held at the playground opposite Entebbe Central
Market, or playground for Comprehensive Secondary School, in Lugonjo and Katabi-Kitubulu
playground.
Michael Mutebi Kabwama, current Entebbe Division A chairperson and NRM
candidate for Entebbe Municipality mayoral seat, says members are canvassing
votes for all flag bearers despite challenges from within party following the
heated primaries and also the opposition.
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Jolly Kiconco and Christine Namonywe Oonyu, residents of Post
Office and NRM village leaders, say that Museveni's campaign meetings come at a
time when the party's popularity in the area is threatened by the emergence of
National Unity Platform-NUP and NRM leaning independent candidates.
Oonyu says the President must address the concerns of the
electorate about the actions of the Fisheries Protection Unit personnel
deployed on Lake Victoria.
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Kiconco also says women in the area have also faced challenges accessing
funds under the Women Empowerment Fund.
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In Kisoro, the cancellation has angered some
leaders. Abel Bizimana, Kisoro LCV Chairperson says that the President’s campaign
in the area was overdue. He says that they were planning to remind him about
his unfulfilled pledges of tarmacking tourism roads, construction of John Kale
Institute of Science and Technology and expansion of Kisoro Airfield among
others.
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Peninah Habyara, National Resistance Movement
(NRM) party woman councillor flag bearer representing Kisoro municipality says
that Museveni should spare time and travel to Kisoro to show the electorate that
he has them at heart.
She also says that leaders are not ready to travel to Kabale to meet the President
yet they