Ugandan Leaders Rally for Unity, Peace Ahead of January 15 Elections

His Royal Highness (HRH) "Won Ateker" Papa Kumam Raphael Otaya addressing his people.

Political and cultural leaders from northern Uganda have urged citizens to maintain peace, reject ethnic division, and safeguard national unity ahead of the January 15 elections, while voicing support for President Yoweri Museveni and the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).

Speaking at a public meeting in Kyebando, the leaders credited the NRM government with restoring stability after years of insurgency, saying peace had enabled development and peaceful coexistence among communities across the country.

Hon. Akumu Catherine Mavenjina, the representative for older persons in northern Uganda, said Uganda has made significant progress since the NRM came to power in 1986.

“Since the NRM government came in, a lot of positive changes were made under the leadership of His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni,” Akumu said. “Without peace, there is nothing you can do.”

She praised the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) for ending insurgencies, noting that many soldiers lost their lives in the process. According to Akumu, the stability achieved has enabled Ugandans from different regions to live, work, and intermarry freely.

“Because of the peace brought by the NRM government, now all of us from different parts of Uganda have settled here, we are working here, and we are living here peacefully,” she said.

Akumu highlighted government programmes such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, youth livelihood initiatives, vocational training, boda-boda group support, and funding for informal settlements, saying they provide opportunities for citizens willing to work.

She urged voters to back Museveni and NRM candidates, arguing that continuity in leadership was necessary to meet public demands.

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“All the demands can come after the president takes back his seat,” she said. “For the president, all these are already in place.”

Major General Emilio Mondo, the northern region representative for veteran affairs, said peace and security were the foundation of national development but warned that challenges persist, particularly along Uganda’s northern borders.

“The districts of Moyo and Yumbe, which border Sudan, still experience insecurity from groups that have broken away from the government,” Mondo said, citing cattle raids and loss of property. He called on the government to compensate affected communities.

Mondo also pointed to unresolved land disputes linked to displacement during the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) conflict, especially between Acholi and Madi communities in Adjumani District.

“A final solution needs to be found by the government,” he said, stressing that temporary stability was not enough and that lasting peace must be secured.

On the economy, Mondo said unemployment and alcohol abuse among young people posed a serious threat, urging a revival of communal farming and the introduction of new cash crops to replace cotton and tobacco.

“Unemployment can only be solved when the youth themselves accept to do what they can to fight poverty,” he said, calling on agricultural experts to identify commercially viable crops for export markets.

His Royal Highness Papa Kumam Raphael Otaya, also known as Won Ateker, appealed for calm before, during, and after the January 15 vote, warning against violence and ethnic mobilisation.

“We have a duty to ensure that we maintain peace wherever we are because if we don’t do it, we are calling back the past history,” Otaya said.

He urged Ugandans to ignore politicians who mobilise along tribal lines and to take personal responsibility for their economic futures through saving and planning.

“Some of us have seen all these previous governments,” Otaya said. “But this one, I think it is worth protecting.”