By Barbara Nansiimbi
The Vice President Maj. (Rtd). Dr. Jessica Alupo has appealed to women across the country to vote for President Yoweri Museveni in the forthcoming general elections under the slogan, “All Women for Museveni”.
“The NRM has delivered for women. And under Mzee’s leadership, there is still more to deliver – more jobs, more enterprise, more skills development, more opportunities for our daughters and granddaughters. That is why, with absolute conviction, I declare: All Women for Museveni!,” Alupo said
She urged the women to turn up in big numbers to stand firmly with the NRM party. “Let us make history once again. Let us turn out in big numbers, that message is unmistakable: Ugandan women stand firmly with the NRM and with Mzee,” she appealed.
The Katakwi district Woman MP Elect, further asked the women to maintain peace during the polls by voting responsibly but decisively for continuity, stability, and for prosperity.
“Vote for the only leader who has proven, over nearly four decades, that he means what he says and delivers what he promises. Vote for President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the vice president said.
Alupo added that the progress the country has made is the result of steady, disciplined, and visionary leadership of H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni saying it’s time for the women to maintain the status quo.
“It is the product of a leader who understands that transformation is not achieved through noise and populism, but through strategy, consistency, and hard work,” she said.
Alupo stressed that President Museveni has never promised miracles overnight. “He has promised – and delivered – steady progress: one road at a time, one school at a time, one power line at a time, one woman entrepreneur at a time, ” she said.
Alupo told the women who gathered in big numbers at Kololo independence Grounds, that this is not the time for political experiments but time to consolidate, deepen, and accelerate the transformation that is already underway.
She reiterated President Museveni’s message in this election of protecting peace – because women pay the highest price when peace is lost.
“Defend stability because families thrive where stability exists. Deepen wealth creation because women multiply every shilling invested in them. Strengthen regional integration because markets lift households out of poverty,” Alupo appealed.
The retired Major warned that across our region, Ugandans have witnessed what happens when countries abandon stability for reckless experiments.
“We have seen nations plunge into chaos, economies collapse, and women always bear the heaviest burden. In some countries, women who were building businesses now struggle to feed their families. Children who were in school are now displaced. Markets that were thriving are now closed. Security that was taken for granted is now a distant memory. That is not our story,” Alupo said, adding that, “This election is about safeguarding what works – and building on it,”.
The vice president emphasised that because of the prevailing peace, the government has been able to focus on what matters most: moving Ugandan households from subsistence to the money economy.
The President has been unequivocal: the government must support households to create wealth, and women are not peripheral to this strategy – they are central, she said.
She asked the women to consider what has been done so far; the Parish Development Model is putting resources directly into the hands of communities, with women as primary beneficiaries and managers. This is not charity, Alupo said but it is recognition that women are the engines of local economic transformation.
Emyooga has organised women into viable economic groups – whether as market vendors, salon operators, boda boda operators, or produce dealers – giving them access to capital and markets that were previously beyond reach.
Agricultural modernisation programs – from Operation Wealth Creation to the distribution of improved seeds, livestock, and farming inputs – have specifically targeted women farmers, recognising that we produce over 70% of the food that feeds this nation.
Infrastructure development has been strategic.
Roads, electricity, water, and ICT expansion are not just about physical connectivity – they are about reducing the burden of unpaid labour that falls disproportionately on women.
“When a village gets electricity, it is women who no longer walk kilometers for firewood. When a road is tarmacked, it is women traders who can now reach urban markets. When water is piped to a community, it is girls who can now go to school instead of spending hours at the well,” she said.
She concluded by saying that SME financing and microfinance schemes have opened doors for women entrepreneurs who were previously locked out of formal banking.
The vice president praised president Museveni for understanding something fundamental: “you cannot liberate a nation while leaving half its population in chains. The liberation of Uganda had to include – indeed, had to be driven by – the liberation of women,” she said.
