By Our Reporter
Fresh tensions are emerging within the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) as young party members mobilize to protest what they describe as a deliberate and discriminatory attempt by the party’s Electoral Commission (EC) to bar them from contesting for positions on the Central Executive Committee (CEC) — the party’s highest decision-making organ.
The NRM Electoral Commission, chaired by Dr. Tanga Odoi and based at Kyadondo Plot 13, is under increasing scrutiny from youthful aspirants who allege that the Commission is enforcing an unwritten policy effectively disqualifying candidates under the age of 45 from vying for senior party leadership roles.
According to multiple sources, EC officials have reportedly been advising younger candidates to focus their political ambitions on youth leagues and ghetto-based party structures. This guidance has sparked outrage among young members, who represent a significant portion of NRM’s national delegate base.
“This is a betrayal of the principles of inclusivity. Both the Constitution of Uganda and the NRM constitution permit any citizen above 18 years to contest for leadership. Why are we now being marginalized?” one youth aspirant lamented.
In what many view as a growing pattern of institutional bias, the EC recently disqualified a candidate in Bukedea on grounds of lacking a permanent residence — a decision that shocked many grassroots members. While senior party figures have largely remained silent, critics argue such moves reflect a troubling trend of politically motivated exclusions.
“The EC’s credibility is hanging by a thread. These are the same youth who breathed new life into the party through ghetto mobilization, patriotism clubs, and community-based activism. Now that they want a seat at the table, the rules are suddenly changing,” said a senior youth mobilizer from Eastern Uganda.
Insiders involved in the ongoing internal campaigns suggest that the rising popularity of youthful candidates has unsettled some wealthy and well-entrenched figures seeking to retain or ascend to CEC positions. Observers believe this discomfort may be behind attempts to pressure the EC into enforcing informal age-related restrictions.
“There’s clear panic at the top. The youth are threatening to trigger a protest vote. Ironically, it’s not the young ones with scandals — it’s the so-called senior leaders, many of whom have been implicated in CHOGM fund misappropriation, iron sheet thefts, and cooperative embezzlement. Some are even battling criminal charges. Shouldn’t they be the ones stepping aside?” questioned another youthful contender.
Controversy intensified further following leaked internal communications from the NRM Secretariat, allegedly suggesting that CEC contenders must be “mature and established individuals.” The comments were met with sharp criticism from youth leaders across the country.
“The current Secretary General himself rose through the ranks as a young leader. Why discourage others from taking the same journey?” one contestant challenged.
As tensions rise, youth leaders are now appealing to His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the party’s National Chairman, to intervene and defend the democratic rights of young NRM members.
“If this exclusionist agenda persists, NRM risks alienating the very demographic that revitalized its base. The party must remain a mass movement — not an exclusive club for the elite, the aged, or the corrupt,” read a statement from a youth coalition planning peaceful demonstrations later this week.
With the 2025 NRM internal elections fast approaching, the unfolding struggle is no longer just about leadership positions. It is rapidly becoming a defining test of the party’s commitment to inclusivity, internal democracy, and generational renewal.