OPINION | Reclaiming Buganda: Why Hakim Kyeswa’s Bold Stand Is What NRM Needs Now!

By Waiswa Anord | Political Analyst

In a moment of rare candour and ideological clarity, Hakim Kyeswa—aspiring Vice Chairperson for the National Resistance Movement (NRM) in Uganda’s Central Region—has sounded an urgent and necessary alarm: Buganda is slipping from the Movement’s grasp, and not because of ideology, but because of institutional complacency. His message, posted on social media, may read like a campaign note, but it reflects a broader, deeper political truth the NRM can no longer afford to ignore.

For decades, Buganda stood as a pillar of support for President Yoweri Museveni and the NRM. From the bush war days to the height of national reconstruction, the region offered not just votes, but legitimacy and cultural anchorage. The 2021 political earthquake, where Robert Kyagulanyi’s National Unity Platform (NUP) swept Central Uganda, was misinterpreted by many as a complete ideological divorce from the NRM. But Kyeswa challenges this notion with refreshing honesty: it was not the Movement that Buganda rejected—it was the inertia and arrogance of its own internal leadership.

Kyeswa points a determined finger at the Central Executive Committee (CEC), accusing it of being both lazy and unresponsive. In a party where positions of leadership often operate as reward mechanisms rather than engines of policy and responsiveness, such a statement is not only bold—it is revolutionary.

At the core of Kyeswa’s proposed agenda are two enduring crises that continue to alienate the NRM from its traditional support base: land insecurity and corruption. Buganda, with its unique historical relationship to land and cultural institutions, remains at the epicentre of Uganda’s land conflicts. Bibanja holders—customary tenants historically protected by both law and tradition—are increasingly finding themselves vulnerable to commercial land grabs, often with the collusion of state agents. Kyeswa calls for the CEC to transition from passive rhetoric to active policy: laws that protect, not just promise.

Equally, his indictment of corruption strikes at the heart of the disillusionment many Ugandans feel—not just in Buganda. Corruption within the Movement is not merely a matter of stolen funds; it represents a betrayal of the revolutionary ideals that brought the NRM to power. If left unaddressed, it will continue to hollow out public trust and feed the narrative of moral bankruptcy that opposition parties have capitalised on.

Kyeswa’s campaign slogan, “Nothing for Us Without Us,” is more than political branding—it is a philosophical rupture from top-down patronage politics. It speaks to a grassroots revival that prioritises listening over lecturing, and participation over pronouncement. It is a call to rebuild the NRM from the ground up, anchored in humility, accountability, and service.

The August 28th Delegates Conference will not merely determine who occupies a seat in the party’s Central Region leadership—it will signal whether the NRM has the courage to confront its internal decay. Hakim Kyeswa, by placing truth above expediency, has shown he is not just another candidate seeking office. He is a reformist with a diagnosis and a remedy.

The Movement would be wise to listen.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the publication.