Rushenyi County MP Naome Kabasharira on Wednesday launched her re-election bid with a pledge to protect and expand the “New Era” reforms that helped deliver unity and service-driven politics in the constituency. She was nominated to seek a second term on the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) ticket, setting the stage for the 2026 race.

Kabasharira, accompanied by her core campaign team, was duly nominated by Ntungamo District Returning Officer Latif Ngonzi. Addressing supporters shortly after, she framed her candidacy as a people-centered mandate built on accountability, consultation, and shared progress, values she says define Rushenyi’s politics today.

“This nomination is not my victory; it is our victory,” she said. “When Rushenyi called for action, I showed up. When you needed a voice, I raised it. When you demanded results, we delivered. But our journey is not finished. The work continues.”

The campaign team emphasized that the “New Era”, the philosophy that rallied Rushenyi behind Kabasharira in 2021, remains the engine of her second-term bid. Rooted in accountability, consultation, and inclusive leadership, the movement has focused on a leader who listens, returns to the people, and jointly sets priorities with them. Supporters say it is this approach that has replaced political friction with cooperation and service-driven development.

The nomination event also served to reinforce support for the wider NRM government. A local party official and lawyer, Justus Karuhanga, contextualized her re-election bid within the larger party framework, emphasizing a shift in political operations.

“As New Era… we set out to achieve certain goals, the first being unifying our people and doing away with camps and divisions. She has been instrumental in delivering that as our leader,” Karuhanga stated, stressing a key pillar of her political identity

In Rushenyi, Hon. Kabasharira’s supporters point to tangible gains in service delivery. They cite the upgrading of Rushooka and Rubaare Health Centre IVs and the successful lobbying for fully operational emergency ambulances as evidence of an MP focused on results, not rhetoric.

Dominic Tumwesigye Kadenge, a certified tax advisor and Rotarian, from Kayonza Subcounty in Rushenyi said the progress reflects a deliberate shift toward collective effort and party-based development. “It is important that we leave behind individual-merit politics and embrace a merit-based party system, this is what it truly means,” he said, framing Kabasharira’s record as part of a structured and unified agenda of the Rushenyi New Era.

Kadenge noted that the improvements are visible on the ground. “If you visit Rushooka Health Centre IV, you will see the organization, the ambulance, and how it has helped everyone. I believe this is the only fully operational ambulance in the region, the rest are just vehicles,” he said.

Kabasharira, who previously sparked national debate with her call to trim Uganda’s 557-member Parliament—arguing that “we are too many for the country”—now turns her energy back to Rushenyi’s voters. With a consolidated base and a message rooted in continuity and shared progress, she enters the race as the frontrunner for another five-year term.

On nomination day, she unveiled a second-term agenda aligned with the NRM’s 2026–2031 manifesto, “Protecting the Gains and Securing the Future.” Her plan centers on expanding household incomes, strengthening health services, improving roads and water systems, boosting education and youth employment, and extending electricity while empowering women and safeguarding families.

“I will represent you boldly and truthfully,” she said, promising to lobby aggressively for services and defend public funds “without compromise.”

The event also underscored Kabasharira’s tight alignment with the wider NRM agenda. Justus Karuhanga used the moment to rally support for President Yoweri Museveni, urging voters to look beyond short-term frustrations and focus on long-term solutions.

“Yes, unemployment is still a challenge, but anger alone is not a solution,” he said. “Being angry and voting for another angry person without a plan does not change anything. There is a plan.” He pointed to new programs, including a university–unemployed youth fund to be set up in every district, and reminded residents to turn up for the President’s visit in November.With nominations behind her, Kabasharira now takes her case directly to the electorate. Leaning on her first-term record, a unity message, and a defined development agenda, she is asking Rushenyi to grant her a second mandate to “build Rushenyi together

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President Yoweri Museveni has unveiled a public-private partnership aimed at transforming the remote Karamoja subregion through the construction of the Kidepo International Airport. The project, comparable in scale to Entebbe International Airport, is a strategic economic move designed to unlock the high-end tourism potential of the adjacent Kidepo Valley National Park.

The core business model centers on attracting wealthy international tourists by drastically improving accessibility. The airport will be developed and financed by private investors, who are also expected to construct and operate high-value hotels and related tourism infrastructure in the area. This approach aims to minimize the government’s financial outlay while maximizing foreign direct investment and tourism revenue.

Museveni framed the wildlife in Kidepo as an economic asset, comparing it to a spectator sport that draws paying customers. This high-value, low-volume tourism strategy is intended to be a robust, sustainable revenue generator for the nation and a source of local employment.

The airport project is positioned within the context of a wider regional economic development plan. Other concurrent initiatives highlighted by the president demonstrate a focus on providing foundational support for business and industrial growth.

The government is prioritizing significant upgrades to electricity and road networks, including the Moroto-Kaabong road, aimed at improving connectivity for commerce and trade.

Industrialization is also key, as evidenced by the inspection of the Yaobai International Holding Cement Uganda–SMC Ltd. factory, which will produce 12,000 tonnes of clinker daily. This project underscores the commitment to developing a robust construction industry and creating local employment opportunities.

Ongoing government programs, such as the Parish Development Model and Emyooga Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations, are injecting billions of shillings directly into grassroots enterprises to foster household income and promote economic self-reliance.

In the agricultural sector, water development projects, including dams and valley tanks, are intended to support an expansion of commercial agriculture and livestock production. This is a key element of the “Four-Acre Model” promoted for household wealth creation.

The Kidepo International Airport is a pivotal investment intended to serve as a gateway for international capital and high-spending tourists, thereby acting as a powerful catalyst for the economic transformation of the Karamoja subregion.

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