President Yoweri Museveni has urged leaders and residents of Rukungiri District to take the fight against poverty as the next major battle facing communities, as he thanked voters for renewing their support for Security Minister Maj. Gen. Jim Muhwezi and the National Resistance Movement (NRM).
The message was delivered on Saturday, September 19, 2026, by Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa at Muhwezi’s thanksgiving ceremony held at Kasoroza Playgrounds in Nyakagyeme Sub-county, Rujumbura Constituency.
Tayebwa represented President Museveni at the event, which brought together Muhwezi’s family, government officials, colleagues and members of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU). The ceremony also included a fundraising drive for the construction of St. John’s Kasoroza Church of Uganda.
According to Tayebwa, Museveni thanked the people of Rukungiri for voting for Muhwezi and the NRM in the 2026 general elections, as well as for renewing their confidence in Muhwezi, who has served in government and politics since the National Resistance Army bush war.
The President said figures such as Muhwezi represent the sacrifices made by Ugandans who joined the bush struggle without certainty that they would survive or return to see a peaceful Uganda.
But Museveni’s message also turned to the present-day economic challenges facing communities.
“While the bush war is a story of the past, the President challenged us as leaders to be at the forefront of fighting the current war against poverty,” Tayebwa said.
Museveni’s message framed poverty as a household-level challenge that requires collective action beyond individual families.
Tayebwa said the President argued that when households within a community work together and receive support from effective leadership, poverty can be overcome.
The emphasis on household incomes comes as the government continues to promote programmes such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), which is designed to move households from subsistence production into the money economy. Tayebwa has also recently been assessing PDM implementation in western Uganda, where residents have raised concerns over delays in accessing funds, alleged deductions and other implementation challenges.
Tayebwa, who represents Ruhinda North in neighbouring Mitooma District, pledged to work with Muhwezi and other Rukungiri leaders to improve service delivery and address poverty.
“As a neighbour to Rukungiri District, I pledged to work with Hon. Jim and other leaders in the district to do whatever we can to fight poverty and extend services to the people,” Tayebwa said.
The thanksgiving was organised by Muhwezi following his return to Parliament as Rujumbura County MP. He had earlier invited supporters, family members, NRM and PLU officials and colleagues to the September 19 event, which he described as an occasion to thank God for the election victory.
Muhwezi was declared winner of the Rujumbura County parliamentary election with 25,007 votes against 23,307 for his closest challenger, Fred Turyamuhweza Tumuheirwe. A subsequent election petition challenging the result was withdrawn after the High Court granted the petitioner leave to discontinue the case.
The Kasoroza ceremony therefore combined political thanksgiving with a religious fundraising drive, while placing renewed emphasis on the economic challenge of reducing poverty in Rukungiri households.
