By Moses Kintu
President Yoweri Museveni is slated to attend a thanksgiving ceremony organized by Minister for Presidency Milly Babirye Babalanda at Iringa Primary School in Buyende district tomorrow, 7th June, 2025. This visit marks the President’s return to Buyende just months after commemorating World AIDS Day in Bukungu.
While the event is ostensibly a celebration, it takes place against a backdrop of lingering skepticism and unfulfilled promises made by Museveni and his National Resistance Movement (NRM) to the people of Buyende.
For many residents, the President’s visits have become a recurring cycle: promises made, hopes raised, and ultimately, little tangible change on the ground. The upcoming Thanksgiving is sparking questions about whether this visit will be any different.
One of the most prominent unfulfilled promises is the construction of the road connecting Kamuli district to Buyende via Mbulamuti to Bukungu landing site.
This crucial infrastructure project has been repeatedly included in the national budget for years, yet construction remains elusive, leaving residents frustrated and hindering economic development in the region.
The situation isn’t new. During a similar Thanksgiving ceremony in February 2025 at Wesunire Primary School, organized to launch the Milly Babalanda Foundation, the Minister for Energy and Mineral Development, Ruth Nankabirwa, acknowledged the unfulfilled promises.
She urged the people of Budiope West, where Babalanda aspires to represent in the 12th Parliament, to rally behind Babalanda in the upcoming elections, promising that supporting her would ensure the NRM finally delivers on its commitments.
This linking of political support with the fulfillment of promises raises concerns about whether the residents of Buyende are being asked to trade their votes for basic necessities and long-awaited development.
While Babalanda’s efforts to bring attention and resources to Buyende are acknowledged, the continuous cycle of promises followed by inaction fuels cynicism.
Buyende is considered a stronghold for the NRM regime. The question now looming large is whether the NRM, under Museveni’s leadership and with the backing of figures like Babalanda, will finally translate these promises into reality.
Will the upcoming visit be another opportunity to make pledges that remain unfulfilled, or will it mark a turning point where tangible progress begins to address the needs of the people of Buyende?
Only time will tell if this thanksgiving will be a genuine celebration of progress or just another reminder of promises broken. The residents of Buyende are waiting, watching, and hoping that this time, the NRM will finally deliver.
