By Our Reporter
The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has once again cemented President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s grip on the party, endorsing him unopposed as both national chairman and presidential flagbearer ahead of the 2026 general elections.
In a statement issued after the Central Executive Committee (CEC) vetting process, NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong said Museveni’s sole candidature reflected “the overwhelming confidence of the party in his consistent and tested leadership.” Long-serving party stalwart Al-Hajji Moses Kigongo was also returned unopposed as First National Vice Chairman, extending his decades-long dominance at the party’s apex.
While the top positions were sealed without contest, lower ranks of the CEC have set the stage for bruising battles, underscoring the factional undercurrents within Uganda’s ruling party.
The fiercest showdown is shaping around the post of Second National Vice Chairperson (Female), where Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among and former Speaker Rebecca Kadaga are locked in a high-stakes duel. Both have ignored calls from President Museveni to step aside in favour of consensus, with their refusal signaling deep rivalries in women’s political leadership within the NRM.
In the regional races, the Western Uganda vice chairperson slot has attracted a crowded field despite the withdrawal of Museveni’s younger brother Sedrack Nzaire. Eight contenders remain in the running, among them cabinet minister Chris Baryomunsi and businessman Micheal Mawanda.
Kampala, Central, Eastern, Northern, and Karamoja regions are also witnessing heated contests, featuring prominent names such as Mike Mukula (Eastern), Denis Hamson Obua (Northern), and Geoffrey Ssuubi Kiwanda (Central).
Analysts say the clear endorsement of Museveni and Kigongo ensures stability at the helm, but the fierce competition for vice chairperson seats reveals a restless middle tier eager to shape succession debates and regional power balances.
“These contests are not just about titles,” one political observer noted. “They are about visibility, leverage, and positioning in a party where succession remains the elephant in the room.”
As the campaigns intensify, the NRM will be tested on whether it can manage its internal rivalries without spilling into open rebellion — a challenge made more delicate by the party’s determination to project unity ahead of 2026.
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