Dr John Faith Makolo addresses the press after President Museveni’s Malukhu NRM campaign rally….Photo/IP
MBALE, Uganda
As the curtain fell on President Yoweri Museveni’s five-day tour of the Bugisu region, Dr. John Faith Makolo greeted the head-of-state’s announcement with optimism, saying it reinforces his message of development for Bungokho North.
Speaking at the nomination rally here, Makolo thanked the President for authorizing the tarmacking of the Kokonjele-Wanale road, which the community has long demanded.
“This road will open markets, ease travel and deliver on our promise of connectivity across Bungokho North,” Makolo said.
President Museveni, addressing people at Malukhu Playing Grounds in Mbale City, affirmed the government’s commitment to the Bugisu sub-region, with key pledges that include:
The upgrade and tarmacking of local trunk roads — with Kokonjele-Wanale explicitly mentioned among priority works.
Expansion and improvement of health infrastructure and maternal-child clinics across the region.
Support for youth empowerment through the Presidential Initiative on Skills, Employment and Wealth Creation, with Bugisu targeted as one of the next hubs.
Boosting agricultural productivity via input distribution, extension services and guaranteed markets for Arabica coffee and other high-value crops in Bugisu and adjacent areas.
A commitment to advance rural electrification and water-supply projects in the sub-region’s remote parishes.
Makolo said the President’s promises align directly with his own campaign goals — to deliver healthcare access, job creation, youth opportunity and roads that connect every village in his constituency.
“With these national commitments now on the table, the people of Bungokho North know exactly who is ready to deliver: someone rooted here, someone who listens, someone who acts,” Makolo asserted.
His decision to run as an independent candidate, despite losing the NRM primaries, is framed by his campaign as a bold affirmation of grassroots will.
The President’s endorsement of infrastructure and development priorities puts Makolo at the centre of a local momentum that his supporters say is sweeping across youth groups, women’s associations and elders.
“Today, we see the turning point,” said Lydia Aciro, a market vendor and Makolo backer.“When the President himself speaks of our roads and clinics — things we have long sought — we know Faith will bring them home.”
With the President now departing for the Sebei region, Makolo said his campaign will pick up the pace.
“We will match our words with action, we will carry the President’s development agenda into every parish and we will prove that Bungokho North is ready to choose progress,” he declared.
— By IP Reporter
