A yellow wave swept through Gulu City and Lamwo District on Wednesday, 22nd October, 2025 as President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) presidential flag bearer drew record-breaking crowds and thunderous chants of support.
At Kaunda Grounds in Gulu City, tens of thousands of supporters turned up waving NRM flags, singing, and dancing, a move that transformed the city once known for blue color into a carnival of yellow as Museveni made his grand entrance.
The scene was symbolic, a region once scarred by war now standing tall in peace and prosperity under the NRM government.
Addressing the mammoth gathering, Museveni struck a tone of pride and urgency and reminded the Acholi people of how far Uganda had come from decades of insecurity and rebellion to stability and economic progress.
“Uganda was at war for a long time, but now we have peace not by accident, but because we built strong institutions like the army and maintained unity in politics,” Museveni declared to loud applause.
The President emphasized that peace alone is not enough and it must be matched with economic transformation and urged the people of Acholi to embrace modern farming, industrialization, and entrepreneurship under government programs such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, Operation Wealth Creation, and NAADS.
“Our people work hard, but using outdated methods. We must move from subsistence to commercial agriculture. That’s how families will join the money economy,” he said.
Museveni cited major infrastructure achievements as proof of NRM’s commitment to the north, including the Kampala–Gulu highway, Karuma–West Nile road, and Gulu–Nimule route, which he described as economic lifelines that will open markets and connect producers to consumers.
In Lamwo District, Museveni’s rally at Padibe Town Council was equally electric, thousands thronged the venue, singing their locally composed NRM campaign song “Muze Wa Kazi” by Bosmic Otim as the President called on Acholi to seize the opportunity of lasting peace.
President Museveni’s audio clip while addressing a rally in Lamwo district.Clip by Ronald Odongo.
“This is the first time in 500 years that Uganda has enjoyed full stability. Let us now use this peace to create wealth and build our future,” Museveni told the crowd.
He reaffirmed the government’s plan to restock each household with five cows and continue supporting farmers with seedlings for cash crops such as coffee and fruits. He also announced the government’s intention to ensure that every parish receives Shs 100 million annually through the PDM to boost household incomes.
The President hailed Lamwo’s transformation with 74 government primary schools, seven secondary schools, and 82% of villages connected to clean water describing it as evidence of NRM’s inclusive development agenda.
He cautioned the public against corruption and dependency on government jobs, noting that true prosperity lies in enterprise, not bureaucracy.
“Government jobs are only about 480,000, but factories employ over 1.3 million people. Real wealth is created in production, not offices,” Museveni said.
In a rare emotional moment, Museveni expressed condolences to the families of the 46 victims of the Kiryandongo road accident, announcing financial support and urging Ugandans to drive safely.
Local leaders, including Gulu City NRM Chairperson Gift Aber and Lamwo District NRM Chairman Odoki Pollycap, praised Museveni for delivering peace and visible transformation to Acholi.
They highlighted progress in education, healthcare, and youth skilling, calling the President “the architect of modern northern Uganda.”
The rallies, themed “Protecting the Gains, Making a Qualitative Leap into High Middle-Income Status,” served both as a political show of force and a message of renewal.
“Peace is here. Development is happening. Now is the time to create wealth,” Museveni concluded, his words met with roaring chants of “Jjaja Tova Ku Main!”
As night fell over Gulu and Lamwo, the chants lingered, a powerful reminder that the Acholi sub-region remains firmly on Museveni’s campaign radar, and that the NRM’s message of transformation still strikes a powerful chord in the north.
