Inside Bobi Wine’s 89-page 2026 manifesto: A promise of 10 million jobs

National Unity Platform (NUP) leader and presidential hopeful Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, has set an ambitious target of creating 10 million jobs over the next five years if elected in 2026.

Unveiled yesterday at St. Gonzaga Kagoma Primary School playgrounds in Jinja, the 89-page document lays out 11 priority areas that Kyagulanyi says will “restore Uganda to its rightful promise.”

Restoring Freedom and Rule of Law

Opening with a call to “restore freedom, constitutionalism and human rights,” Kyagulanyi pledges to end the trial of civilians in military courts, free political prisoners, reinstate presidential term and age limits, and reduce executive powers over the judiciary. Gender equality, he said, will be “non-negotiable.”

Slashing Corruption and Waste

His second priority tackles corruption and wasteful expenditure, promising to downsize cabinet, state house staff, and parliament.

“The savings,” Kyagulanyi said, “will be redirected to health, education and other essential services that actually touch people’s lives.”

Healing a Fractured Nation

Under the banner of national unity, the manifesto promises equal opportunities regardless of ethnicity or political affiliation, and compensation for communities scarred by past conflicts. “Uganda’s wounds are deep,” he told supporters, “but we can heal together.”

Jobs, Schools, and Land

Jobs take centre stage in the fifth priority, where Kyagulanyi vows to create 10 million new opportunities by 2032, leveraging manufacturing, tourism, sports and the creative economy.

Other pledges include:

Universal access to services such as health care, water, energy and infrastructure. A school feeding programme to improve pupil concentration while boosting farmers’ incomes.

Equitable land rights to curb land grabbing and illegal evictions.

Stronger, better-funded local governments to deliver services effectively.

Diaspora, Resources and Technology

The final priorities look outward and forward, positioning Uganda’s diaspora as a strategic asset, promoting sustainable management of natural resources so host communities share mineral wealth, and transforming the country into a tech-driven economy built on innovation and local talent.

The Busoga Test

Kyagulanyi heads today to Kamuli and Buyende to sell his message. In 2021, he dominated most of Busoga but fell short in Buyende, a district where President Yoweri Museveni still enjoys strong backing.

Analysts then blamed limited reach, citing weak communication networks and COVID-19 restrictions. This time, the ground is more contested. Presidency minister Milly Babalanda and Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) president Moses Magogo, who doubles as NRM chairperson in Buyende, are expected to rally support for the ruling party.

Kyagulanyi insists, however, that NUP’s policies, benchmarked against reforms that lifted other low-income countries, “speak directly to the needs of ordinary Ugandans.”