IBANDA.President Museveni, the National Chairman of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and the party’s flag-bearer for the 2026 elections, has pledged to support coffee farmers in Ibanda District by establishing a coffee processing facility aimed at boosting productivity, improving quality, and raising household incomes through value addition.
President Museveni made the commitment on Saturday, 29th November 2025, while addressing thousands of supporters during a campaign rally at Kagongo Demonstration School playground in Ibanda District, as he intensified his campaign trail across the Ankole sub-region.
Ibanda, one of Uganda’s significant coffee-producing districts, grows both Arabica and Robusta varieties, with Arabica thriving particularly well in areas that lie within the high-altitude ranges of the Rwenzori Mountain ecosystem. Coffee farming remains one of the backbone economic activities for the district’s households, making the President’s pledge a major development prospect for the region.
“You, the people of Ibanda, already know what to do. Therefore, I will help you establish a coffee processing facility that you have proposed here to add value to your coffee,” President Museveni told the cheering crowd.
He added that the government would continue supporting farmers under the Parish Development Model (PDM), including providing free coffee seedlings from both government nursery beds and his personal nurseries at Kisozi.
“We shall continue with the PDM money and also give you free coffee seedlings from the government nursery beds that we shall establish,” President Museveni said.
“PDM will continue where people invest in whatever they want—poultry, pigs, goats, and others.”
The NRM Chairperson for Ibanda District, Hon. Jovrine Kaliisa Kyomukama, highlighted the district’s impressive coffee footprint. She noted that the district has 28,062 acres under coffee cultivation, producing an estimated 14,381 tons annually and earning up to Shs 178 billion in revenue.
Despite these gains, Hon. Kyomukama said farmers still face challenges, particularly the shortage of modern coffee dryers, hullers, and processing equipment at the parish level, making value addition difficult.
“The coffee you gave us through PDM has done wonders, leading to improved coffee production at the household level,” she told the President. “But we need dryers per parish and coffee hullers.”
Residents at the rally shared testimonies reflecting the district’s growing prosperity from commercial agriculture.
Mr. Mutabaazi Wilbroad, a coffee farmer from Nyabuhikye Sub-county, revealed that he earns more than Shs 40 million per season from his 8-acre coffee farm.
“From one acre, I get about Shs 8 million per season, meaning Shs 16 million per year,” he said.
President Museveni praised such success stories, saying coffee has transformed the livelihoods of many households across Uganda. He noted that Uganda now earns US$2 billion annually from coffee exports, making it one of the country’s biggest sources of foreign exchange.
“Coffee has created wealth for households and for the country as well,” he emphasized.
According to official statistics presented at the rally, Ibanda District has shown strong progress in PDM implementation.
Ibanda District (40 PDM SACCOs) received Shs 14.39 billion, of which Shs 12.39 billion (86.07%) was disbursed to 12,391 households, while Ibanda Municipality (21 PDM SACCOs) received Shs 7.50 billion, of which Shs 6.45 billion (85.96%) was disbursed to 6,454 households. In total, Ibanda District and Municipality have received Shs 21.9 billion.
President Museveni encouraged parish and sub-county leaders to ensure the remaining households also benefited. He, however, cautioned the public against confusing development with wealth creation.
“Development is for all of us – schools, roads, hospitals. But wealth and poverty are personal. We need households to embrace wealth creation,” he said, revisiting the 4-acre model that the government introduced in the 1996 manifesto.
Under the model, farmers are encouraged to allocate one acre to coffee, one to fruits, one to food crops, and one to zero-grazing livestock, while using backyards for poultry, piggery, or fish farming.
President Museveni used the Ibanda rally to highlight the seven key contributions of the NRM as featured in the 2026–2031 manifesto. He reminded voters of the importance of peace in the region, noting that threats from armed groups that previously operated in the Kamwenge forests had been neutralized.
“You, the people of Ibanda, know what peace means,” he said. “Those who wanted to disrupt this peace were dealt with.”
On development, President Museveni emphasized ongoing and upcoming infrastructure projects, including major road works across the region.
He assured residents that the Mbarara–Ibanda road would be repaired afresh, while other routes—including Ishaka–Bushenyi, Ibanda–Kagongo–Kabujogera–Kamwenge, and Nyamarebe–Kyegegwa—would also be fully rehabilitated.
He further promised to consider establishing a ferry on Lake George to boost trade between Rubanda, Rubirizi, and Kasese districts.
According to Hon. Kyomukama, the absence of a reliable transport system across the lake currently forces residents to use risky alternatives, especially when transporting livestock to markets.
On the side of social infrastructure, the President acknowledged that Ibanda performs well in accessibility to government schools and health facilities, but advised residents to prioritize wealth creation alongside development, saying it’s through wealth that jobs are created.
President Museveni pointed to the growing number of industrial parks—such as Sino-Mbale Industrial Park with 75 factories and Namanve Industrial Park with over 270 factories—as evidence of the NRM’s commitment to job creation.
“These employ far more Ugandans than government institutions, which have only 480,000 jobs for a population nearing 50 million,” he said.
To illustrate opportunities in commercial agriculture, President Museveni cited success stories such as Johnson Basangwa, a poultry farmer in Kamuli who produces 200 trays of eggs daily and earns Shs 20 million per day, employing 300 workers. Another example was of Mr. George Matongo, a dairy farmer from Ngoma, Nakaseke, who produces over 900 litres of milk daily, earning about Shs 21 million per month, despite living far from tarmac roads or electricity.
Ibanda has historically been an NRM stronghold, and in the 2021 Presidential Elections, out of 140,486 registered voters, 90,801 (64.6%) turned up, with President Museveni winning 77,521 votes (87.3%).
For the 2026 elections, Ibanda has 153,810 registered voters, an increase of 13,324. Polling stations have grown from 280 in 2021 to 410.
Saturday’s rally attracted prominent NRM leaders, including Speaker of Parliament and party’s Second National Vice Chairperson, Rt. Hon. Anita Annet Among, NRM Vice Chairperson for Western Uganda, Eng. Asiimwe Jonard, district leaders, and other senior party officials.