Barbie Itungo Kyagulanyi, wife of National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, has urged voters to remain steadfast and “vote wisely” in the forthcoming January 2026 general elections.
Addressing NUP supporters at Ruhoko primary school in Rubaare, Ntungamo district, Itungo accused President Yoweri Museveni’s campaign team of distributing money to influence voters. She, however, told residents to accept the handouts but cast their ballots for her husband.
“We know there is a woman who was giving you money yesterday. It’s okay to eat that money, but vote for NUP candidates for change,” she told cheering supporters.
Itungo said that once her husband is elected president and she becomes first lady, she would transform Rubaare into a model area for development and empowerment, noting that true progress would come through fair leadership, not temporary handouts.
Earlier, Kyagulanyi, while addressing supporters in Ntungamo town, vowed not to be intimidated by what he called “state violence” against his campaign team and supporters.
He criticised the government’s failure to support farmers, saying that many work tirelessly yet earn little from their produce due to poor market prices and counterfeit agricultural inputs.
He said farmers produce milk and crops, but earn nothing or so little. Even the drugs and herbicides are fake and it’s time to change. Kyagulanyi also denounced tribal divisions, arguing that unemployment and poverty affect Ugandans across all regions.
“A youth in Busoga, a youth in Buganda, and a youth in Ntungamo face the same struggles. None is better than the other. Uganda’s suffering is shared, and together, we can change it,” he added.
While in Kinoni town council, Rwampara district, Kyagulanyi pledged to prioritise poverty eradication and equal opportunities, promising to “restore hope and unity among Ugandans.” He later commissioned a new NUP office along Kaguta Road in Ntungamo as part of his ongoing campaign tour of western Uganda.
