KABALE, UGANDA – Senior Presidential Advisor on Agriculture, Ms. Peace Rugambwa, has clarified that the Boona Bageigahare Nyekundire Group Mobilization Campaign is a definitive government initiative designed to directly link grassroots communities with national poverty eradication programs.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!SPA Peace said this while addressing media in Kabale District on Thursday, directly responding to concerns from the Kabale Catholic Diocese regarding what it called “unverified data collection” targeting its members.
In a letter dated December 31, 2025, and signed by Rev. Fr. Christmas Philip Austen, Rector of Rushoroza Cathedral Parish, serious public concerns were outlined regarding teams moving through villages in Kabale District.
According to the letter, the diocese allaged that dindividuals authorized by Peace Rugambwa were collecting National Identification Numbers, names, and contact information from identity cards, with particular focus on areas with high Catholic populations.
The diocesan leadership directed its clergy to avoid participation in what it described as a “controversial village-level data collection” authorized by a senior government official.
In her response, Ms. Rugambwa confirmed the existence of the multi-tiered mobilization teams but clarified that their sole mandate is to organize village-level poverty eradication efforts under presidential support.
She stated that the registration exercise solely collects names and phone contacts to create a direct support channel, directly refuting claims that it involved collecting National Identification Numbers.
“We have a team comprised of four people at the village level, one at the sub-county, another at the constituency level, with their head at the district level. They mobilize people for poverty eradication, register beneficiaries, and monitor support sent directly to those who need it most under presidential support,” Ms. Rugambwa explained.
She recommended directing poverty funds straight to villages to ensure easier grassroots access and to deliver government programs without bureaucratic delays, so every village-level Ugandan can benefit.
The Presidential Advisor also expressed regret over the misunderstanding with religious leaders and emphasized her office’s willingness to engage in further dialogue.
The Government of Uganda, under the leadership of President Yoweri Museveni, has created several initiatives, including the current Parish Development Model, mainly to lift people out of poverty.
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