Lawmakers from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) have agreed to a plan to divide Tororo District into three separate districts and upgrade Tororo Municipality into a city. They also approved the creation of Bughendera District out of Bundibugyo, saying the changes will help improve services and reduce ethnic tensions.
The announcement was made by Government Chief Whip Hamson Obua on September 12, 2025, at Parliament. He said the resolutions followed a meeting earlier that day at State House, Entebbe.
Obua explained that the caucus agreed to support the creation of Mukuju District, Mulanda District, Kisoko District, and Tororo City in the financial year 2025/2026, if the law allows. They also backed the creation of Bughendera District from Bundibugyo in the same year, while other new districts and cities will be handled between 2026 and 2031.
Some journalists questioned whether this was gerrymandering, since the Electoral Commission is already preparing for the 2026 elections. But Local Government Minister Raphael Magyezi rejected that claim. He said the decision is about better service delivery, not politics. As an example, he pointed out that when Nakawa was split into two constituencies, both were won by Opposition MPs, which showed such moves do not always benefit the ruling party.
“We are doing this purely for service delivery, peace, and security,” Magyezi said. “Once people pass resolutions through their councils, my duty as Minister is to study them, present them to Cabinet, and then to Parliament. That process is lawful.”
Magyezi also addressed the cost of the plan. He said the Ministry would need around 26 billion shillings to operationalize the new units. He asked Ugandans to look beyond the cost and consider the benefits. He explained that Uganda’s population is growing fast, and with urbanization at 5.3 percent each year, people want services closer to where they live.
While Parliament may approve the new districts and city, it will be up to the Electoral Commission and the Attorney General to decide when elections will take place. Magyezi said the law states that a district created after a general election can only take effect six months before the next one. That means the new districts will be considered as created in July 2025, but the Electoral Commission and Attorney General will interpret how to proceed.
The new arrangement will increase the number of MPs from Tororo. Currently, Tororo has a Woman MP and a Municipality MP. With the changes, each of the three new districts will get a Woman MP, and Tororo City will have its own Woman MP plus two Division MPs. Government believes this will help end long-running conflict between the Iteso and Japadhola communities. Tororo City will remain the main headquarters for the new districts while keeping the name “Tororo.”
Bundibugyo’s split was also defended, with officials pointing to years of ethnic divisions in Bughendera County. In the past, clashes between the Bakonzo, Bamba, and Busi communities led to deaths, including at least three people.
Obua added that the caucus passed other resolutions, including endorsing President Museveni as NRM National Chairperson and Presidential Candidate for 2026, receiving the audit of the party membership register, and supporting reforms to clean up Uganda’s electoral process. He said the NRM is committed to ending the misuse of money, manipulation of results, and extortion in elections, while also focusing on wealth creation for Ugandans.
