Dan Musinguzi Nabaasa Member of Parliament Kabale Municipality 2026-2031 Manifesto

Background and Context to the Manifesto

This is a special time and moment in the development history of Uganda. There are great things happening or planned to happen in various sectors that will change the economic landscape of the country more profoundly than at any stage in our past. The time is Now for strategic foresight and positioning of Kabale (Tureebe Omumeisho, Tureebe Hare)

Our generation is witnessing the extraction of oil, with a refinery, an oil pipeline, a new international airport and other high value developments to be built. In addition, a standard gauge railway across East Africa will be built connecting Mombasa to Juba and Kisangani and Dar es salaam to Kigali and Bujumbura making Uganda an important transit link for the region.

The iron ore deposits in neighboring Rubanda may be converted into steel soon, an industry estimated to be about a third of the oil industry in estimated value.

Kabale has been approved to become a city, serving the wider Kigezi region. This typically comes with a lot of positive changes like better infrastructure, more funding for public services, increased investment in local businesses, and the potential for new job opportunities. These are likely to lead to growth of tourism and development and as related services in entertainment and cultural events.

The East African Community is expanding with recent addition of DRC, and as luck would have it, Kabale is right at the center of the trade route to DRC, Rwanda and Burundi. East Africa is gradually becoming a single market with a combined present population of 331 million and GDP of USD 296 Billion. By 2040, 200 million of the estimated 400 million East Africans will be living in our growing urban centers, and as mentioned earlier, Kabale will be one those new cities.

Arguably, this is supposed to be a good time, the best time to be alive and an East African and most especially a Ugandan, because of all these once in a life time opportunities and developments coming our way, expected to bring about many high paying jobs, business investment opportunities, occasioning the kind of growth and prosperity in all spheres of our economy that would not have been otherwise possible, and yes we are the generation to see it.

Seeing it is almost certain but using it for our benefit is not guaranteed. The greatest benefits will go to those with the requisite qualifications, skills, and abilities to exploit them. The high paying jobs will be for engineers and architects, accountants and lawyers, surveyors and physical planners, doctors and pharmacists. And to the entrepreneurs who will have the capital, experience and skills to tap into the dynamic environment created. In short luck and opportunity will come, but only the prepared will make use of them.

The key concern of this manifesto is to figure out how we ensure we are prepared, how a student at Kigezi High school, Kigezi College Butobere, Kabale Secondary School, Rushooroza or Brainstorm, becomes the highly paid engineer, architect, finance person or lawyer to be a part of that success story. How, the S6 leaver who is struggling to make a living as a boda boda rider, could instead get some welding and metal working skills to be the kind of technician that the Oil extraction and refinery, railway building or iron and steel industry will be looking for.  How the trader now plying merchandise between Karukara and Kabale town, or a vendor in Bugongi and Mwanjari can be transformed into something better as a result of those many opportunities coming. How to ensure that the teacher, police man/woman or nurse, deployed in Kabale, trying to raise a young family on a meager salary can find opportunities to supplement income and have the hope and assurance that their children will have a better future.

This is what inspires my quest for involvement and the passion that will continue to inform and shape my leadership of Kabale in Parliament

1. The need for Foresighted leadership

The leadership required for the upcoming city, the developments in the country and the East Africa region highlighted above must be forward-thinking, transparent, and strategic. Seeking ways and means of tapping into the emerging opportunities because of gaining city status, the potential commercial mining Iron ore, Uganda becoming an oil producing country and a stronger regional block. The right leadership can help transform tap into these opportunities to create lasting benefits for people of Kabale and the wider region.

• Leadership that will shape the future and development of the Kabale Municipality by not only focusing on immediate needs but also have a long-term perspective, guiding the constituency toward sustainable growth, progress, and well-being. A leadership that provides direction, fosters innovation, builds unity, and creates a sustainable future.
• Leadership that will provide a clear sense of direction for the constituency, helping to define a shared purpose and set meaningful goals. This clarity will help constituents understand where the community is headed, fostering a sense of unity and collective effort to achieve common objectives.
• Leadership that instills hope and optimism in the community by effectively communicating a compelling vision for the future hence motivating people to believe in their potential and to contribute toward making the vision a reality.
• Leadership that seeks to unite people who have been divided along imaginary lines of religion, tribe, class etc by promoting inclusivity and building bridges between different groups within the community.
• Leadership that will mobilize and attractive investors, organizations, and other stakeholders. Working with other leaders to make the constituency stand out as a place of opportunity, leading to increased funding, investment, and development.
• Accountable leadership committed to integrity and ethical leadership focused on the greater good, rather than personal gain.
• Leadership bent on leaving a lasting impact, with all efforts geared to long-term improvements, such as better infrastructure, education, healthcare, and social welfare.

 

2. Strategic positioning of Kabale for Success

While there could be many pathways to the future we desire, these specific sectors outlined below present the best chance and minimal resistance route that Kabale should take, in constructing a better future.

• Developing An Education Services Hub.

Kigezi has historically dominated education excellency for a longtime, the impact of the East African revival that brought spiritual revival with a strong footprint in Kigezi, also caused an early embracing of education that brought great benefit to our people. Education became the avenue to address our economic disadvantages giving us a tool for emancipation and fair competition with other communities. Over time, Education has become our legacy.

We have 4 universities and several other tertiary institutions and have in the past had quite a significant number of foreign students especially from Rwanda, before the closure of the border disrupted the trend. We are positioned close to Rwanda, Burundi and DRC and as the East African community coalesces, it is likely Congolese and Barundi seeking to expose children to an English based education may chose Kabale as a first-choice destination as Rwanda did. Excellent education facilities can be a sustainable economic lifeline for Kabale city, utilizing housing, food and other services that can make livelihoods better.

We already have a strong foothold in this direction and my leadership will aim to strengthen our abilities in this aspect through lobbying government for more financing, infrastructure expansion, coordination with stakeholders like faith-based founding bodies and engagement with private investors involved to seek avenues of enhancement and improvement of our education service sector.

A strong emphasis on ICT and science-based skills could, in addition to attracting students from far, prepare our young people for employment opportunities including ICT supported remote support services that may continue to become the way business is done.  Kabale could position itself as a training and host of these skills and facilities

• Becoming A Health Services Excellence Centre.

Just like the Education Service discussed above, with our recently established medical school and nursing and midwifery training schools that have been operational for many years and being home to the Regional referral Hospital(Kabale Hospital), we can attract high level medical specialists enabling us to provide specialized health services that could serve Kigezi region as well as neighboring countries. This too can support jobs and livelihoods contributing to our economic sustainability.

• Harnessing our Tourism Potential.

We have Lake Bunyonyi and our unique steep hills and deep valleys, features that provide natural scenic beauty that we need to convert into income streams. Government has allocated funds about 120 million USD for tarmacking two roads that join Katuna to Muko, going around lake Bunyonyi on both the eastern and western side. This is an opportunity for waterfront and water view tourism facilities to be developed and my leadership will focus on drawing the attention of our business community and other investors to this potential. Our scenery and cool climate could enable us to become a preferred city to host private social functions if we invest in developing suitable facilities coupled with appropriate marketing and branding. We could, for example pioneer destination weddings tourism.

• Developing our sports potential:

Associated with our high altitude and hilly topography is unique sports potential we have not properly exploited. Kabale can host specialized high altitude training facilities. We need to also urgently redevelop and modernize our stadium, so that we can host high profile games and events. If this cannot be achieved quickly through government investment, private sector partnerships need to be explored like what has happened with Nakivubo stadium in Kampala.

Our hills also offer potential for cycling sports and we ought to be thinking of how we can host cycling competitions that attract national talent and audience. This would bring money to our hospitality and media businesses. In addition, to progressively and consistently promote our own sports talent, we need to work with investors in secondary education to have focused sports academies that can identify and develop young talent. This will be a matter that my leadership will champion with zeal, for the good of our youth and businesses

• Becoming a regional City, a viable business Centre and cross border logistical hub.

As we prepare to become a city, the time is now for our leadership to map out and define the kind of city we want to be. Above the increased public spending on infrastructure expansion and its attendant employment opportunities, we must put in place strategic interventions that will make our city a viable one. As demonstrated earlier, we are border city, we have the geographical advantage for trade opportunities to link with Rwanda, DRC and Burundi.

However, the enabling infrastructure like dry port facilities and free trade zone that enables manufactures in Uganda to warehouse their goods duty free in Kabale for onward export are an important must-have. Indeed, there are government plans and initiatives to that end, but it takes capable knowledgeable Kabale leadership to quicken these processes and have the facilities in place.

It is my intention to ensure that we are no longer lacking in the crucial leadership aspect necessary to make things happen. Kabale needs to be an industrial hub for Kigezi, that adds value to our agricultural produce and raw materials. We are already quite famous for our Irish potatoes and vegetables, but these are sold fresh and quickly because of their perishable nature. Since we have no cold storage facilities and no preservation or value addition opportunities, we get much lower prices than would be possible. Our industrial park needs to have enterprises solving this challenge.  My leadership will ensure there is strategic focus on this matter

3. Preservation and promotion of our culture

As Banyakigezi (Bakiga, Bahororo, Bafumbira and Banyarwanda), we have a strong cultural heritage that is rich in history, customs, traditions, language, foods and other aspects. Sadly, our culture is on the decline because of the pressure from dispersion to other lands and the global connectedness that has accelerated cultural change.  Our children born outside our homeland cannot speak or read and write in Rukiga, and there is no suitable literature to stem the tide. Our customs and traditions are fading, even on critical ceremonies like marriages and burials you observe a lot of deviation, not all of it positive. Culture is important in building self-identity and can be helpful in preserving moral values that are increasingly threatened.

Innovative approaches are needed to preserve our culture. Private museums that tell our story and market our artifacts and dressing need to be encouraged. Investors that can preserve and merchandise our drinks and foods to our increasing diaspora and others willing to try are necessary. I will be working with education institutions to help promote our culture through cultural galas and competitions themed appropriately to fight back. I will also work to promote investment in services and products. that advance our culture

4. Harnessing the strength of Kigezi Diaspora

It requires no emphasis to say that we as Banyakigezi have become the quintessential Bafuruki in many areas within and outside Uganda. Luckily, our traditional values of hard work and determination have ensured that most of our people have flourished and prospered where they have gone. As we look to promote investment in Kabale in all the areas I have highlighted, I will be particularly keen to engage the Kigezi diaspora and encourage them to lead the drive to invest back home. We can use their capital, skills and abilities to transform our ancestral base

5. Utilizing the position of member of parliament as a fulcrum to achieve our goals

The constitutional mandate of an MP is lawmaking and oversight, but I pledge that I will not just be a good legislator but also a key player in shaping public policy, advocacy, stakeholder engagement, supporting civic engagement, and fostering democratic processes and as such will be focused on the following.

• Legislation: I will be an effective legislator, one that my constituents will be proud of. My leadership skills, formal training, experience and passion for national transformation will be put to good use to deliver what I am promising.
• Lobbying: This will be a full-time job from day one! Lobbying for specific policies, issues, and causes that are important to Kabale Municipality by seeking to influence government decisions and policies, through direct communication with ministers, other MPs, or stakeholders in the political or business sectors.
• Mobilization of public opinion and actions around issues of concern by organizing campaigns, raising awareness about key topics, encouraging public participation in civic activities and galvanizing the constituency to support specific policies or initiatives. Consultation based leadership
• Networking through building and maintaining relationships with other MPs, government officials, civil society groups, businesses, and international partners to share insights, and work towards common goals.

Beneficial networks will support our fundraising activities to support projects, or other initiatives in the constituency.

• Mentoring and Inspiration as a leader, I will seek to inspire others, especially youth, to engage in community activities, politics, and community development. Mentor future leaders, guide younger politicians, and provide advice on navigating the political landscape to influence the next generation of leaders and promote positive societal values.