NAMWENDWA, Uganda — National Unity Platform presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi pledged Tuesday to introduce a compulsory feeding program in all government-aided schools if elected, arguing that hunger is a major cause of school dropouts.
Speaking during his campaign rally in Namwendwa Town Council, Kamuli District, Kyagulanyi said many students cannot endure long school days without meals.
He noted that some children leave school for casual labor in sugarcane plantations, earning between 3,000 and 10,000 shillings ($0.80-$2.70) to buy food. Others, he added, especially girls, “fall prey to older men in exchange for meals,” contributing to increased teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.
Kyagulanyi’s proposed nationwide school feeding plan includes porridge and an egg during break time, and a meal in the afternoon. He believes the program will boost academic performance, improve student attention, and keep girls in school by reducing their vulnerability to sexual exploitation.
“This program will restore dignity among school-going children, especially girls, and ensure no child has to trade their future for food,” Kyagulanyi said.
Kyagulanyi is expected to continue his campaign Wednesday at the Luuka District Headquarters. The venue is notable as the site of his Nov. 18, 2020, arrest while addressing a rally.
His detention, ordered by then-Assistant Inspector General of Police Frank Mwesigwa, sparked nationwide protests that resulted in the deaths of at least 54 people, according to government figures. Kyagulanyi was detained at Nalufenya Police Station in Jinja City and charged with violating COVID-19 guidelines before being released on bail.
The 2020 incident elevated Kyagulanyi’s political standing in Luuka, where he later defeated incumbent President Yoweri Museveni in the election—a victory no previous opposition candidate had achieved in the district.
