KASESE, UGANDA – In a campaign stop aimed directly at border communities, Common Man’s Party (CMP) presidential candidate Mubarak Munyagwa has promised to abolish the longstanding 10,000-shilling border crossing fee at the Mpondwe border post. He condemned the charge as an unjust burden hindering ordinary citizens and small-scale trade.
Addressing traders and residents at the border in Kasese District, Munyagwa argued that the fee has stifled cross-border commerce and daily livelihoods for years. He pledged its immediate removal if elected.
Soundbite: Mubarak Munyagwa, CMP, Presidential Candidate
"This fee is a daily tax on poverty. It punishes small traders, divides families, and kills local business. My government will scrap it on day one."
The candidate also positioned Kasese as a region of untapped potential, claiming it could be among the wealthiest in Uganda due to its mineral resources. He sharply criticised the current administration for neglecting critical local investments.
Soundbite: Mubarak Munyagwa, CMP, Presidential Candidate
"Look at the dormant assets here: the railway, Kilembe Mines, the salt factory. These were engines of our economy. Their abandonment is not an accident; it is a policy of neglect towards the people of this region."
Following his engagement at Mpondwe, Munyagwa took his campaign to Katwe Kabatooro Town Council and later held a rally in Kasese Municipality. At each stop, he reiterated his core message of reviving the local economy and reducing the cost of living for the common person.
His pledges at the border represent a direct appeal to the cross-border trade community, a significant bloc in the western region, framing the election as a choice between continued burdens and tangible economic relief.
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