”Blessed Are Those Who Accept Defeat, For They Will Reconcile & Unite”-Museveni Preaches To Opposition In Post Election Letter

By Frank Kamuntu

President Yoweri Museveni has called on opposition leaders and their supporters to embrace principled reconciliation following the conclusion of Uganda’s 2026 general elections, urging political actors to move away from confrontation and work toward national cohesion.

In a post-election letter addressed to Ugandans, Museveni congratulated citizens on the completion of the presidential, parliamentary, local government and LC1 elections, describing the electoral process as largely peaceful and participatory. He said he addressed rallies across the country during the campaign period and noted broad public engagement, including participation by elders, youth and children.

The President attributed Uganda’s relative political stability over the years to reforms undertaken by the NRM/NRA government, citing the professionalisation of the security forces, efforts to curb sectarian politics based on religion and ethnicity, and economic reforms that revived industrial production and stabilised the supply of essential consumer goods. He also highlighted infrastructure development along major highways and security operations against insurgent groups as key milestones in consolidating national stability.

Museveni revisited Uganda’s electoral history, arguing that earlier reforms had reduced malpractice but claimed that the reintroduction of the secret ballot created vulnerabilities later exploited through electoral fraud. He alleged that practices such as multiple voting and ballot manipulation resurfaced in subsequent elections, blaming weak enforcement for undermining the credibility of some electoral processes.

In the letter, Museveni questioned why a significant number of registered National Resistance Movement (NRM) supporters do not turn up to vote.

“Why do the 18.5 million voters of the NRM not bother to register to vote or even when they are registered do not come to vote?” he wrote.

He attributed low turnout among some NRM supporters to what he described as self-seeking political actors within both the ruling party and the opposition.

“It is on account, mainly, of the najjakulya (I came to eat) leaders on both the NRM and opposition sides,” Museveni said. He argued that within the NRM, some leaders fail to engage closely with party members, while violence and unfair practices during party primaries frustrate supporters and discourage participation.

According to the President, this disaffection has contributed to a growing trend of NRM-leaning independent candidates defeating official party flag bearers.

Turning to the opposition, Museveni accused opposition groups of using intimidation and violence to suppress voter participation, citing previous incidents of election-related unrest.

“With the opposition, they mainly disturb our population with intimidation, violence and isolated cases of terrorism,” he wrote, referring to past attacks in parts of the country and alleging that some groups had planned to disrupt voting.

He said security agencies, working with local communities, prevented large-scale disruption during the 2026 elections, but warned that some individuals were still “hatching schemes,” including collaborating with what he described as “criminal foreigners.” He said those linked to election-related violence would be prosecuted.

On the economy, Museveni pointed to government programmes such as Universal Primary Education, Entandikwa, NAADS, Operation Wealth Creation, Emyooga and other financing initiatives as efforts aimed at transitioning households from subsistence to commercial production. He cited growth in agricultural output, including coffee, dairy, maize and bananas, while acknowledging persistent challenges such as poverty, corruption, land disputes and the rising cost of education.

He further argued that weak supervision and uneven implementation of pro-poor programmes by local leaders had undermined their impact, contributing to public dissatisfaction in some areas. Museveni said the Parish Development Model was designed to strengthen community-level ownership and accountability, adding that early indications showed improved targeting of beneficiaries where parish structures were functioning effectively.

Addressing the post-election political environment, the President urged leaders across the political divide to avoid inflammatory rhetoric and conduct, and to commit to peaceful engagement. He said unresolved service delivery challenges, particularly in health, infrastructure and governance, must be addressed decisively to sustain public confidence in state institutions.