By Our Reporter
As the National Resistance Movement (NRM) prepares for a high-stakes Delegates Conference this August, a surprising frontrunner is quietly reshaping the narrative around women’s leadership in the party: Princess Rehema Kyanika of Busoga — a little-known powerhouse whose influence is now impossible to ignore.
More than just royalty, Kyanika is being hailed as the embodiment of loyalty, strategy, and silent effectiveness. Her name is increasingly dominating internal discussions, not because of media campaigns or high-budget roadshows, but due to her unwavering service in the trenches of Uganda’s political heartland.
Sources within the NRM Central Executive Committee confirm that Kyanika currently leads in internal polls for National Chairperson of the Women’s League (2025–2030) — a position that will shape the Movement’s female political strategy ahead of the crucial 2026 elections.
But what makes her rise so remarkable?
Kyanika, who doubles as the Office of the National Chairman (ONC) Regional Coordinator for Busoga, is credited with reigniting the party’s grassroots female structures in districts long written off as dormant. Her personal mantra, “I Am, Because You Are,” has not just become a campaign slogan — it’s become a blueprint for a new era of relational politics within the Women’s League.
“She doesn’t just talk about women empowerment; she’s in the villages translating policy into meals, education, and savings groups,” says a mobilizer from Iganga. “She turned silence into strategy.”
In a field of four candidates — including incumbent Lydia Wanyoto, National Women Council boss Faridah Kibowa, and Kampala entrepreneur Adrine Kobusingye — Kyanika’s deliberate low-profile but high-impact approach stands out.
While others build political capital through events and optics, Kyanika’s quiet empire has been constructed on trust, performance, and sacrifice, particularly in rural districts where women often feel disconnected from national politics.
“She’s the first to arrive, the last to leave — no convoy, no media. But she delivers,” said one insider from the NRM Women Mobilization Taskforce.
Her work spans women’s cells organization, youth mentoring, and translating programs like PDM and Emyooga into tangible benefits — not on podiums, but on porches, in markets, and at water wells.
For many within the party, Kyanika represents both a reward and a reset: a reward for years of loyalty to President Museveni and the NRM cause, and a reset for a Women’s League that has lately struggled with relevance and energy at the grassroots.
There’s also a symbolic element to her candidacy. Her Busoga royal lineage, merged with her non-elitist work ethic, offers a unique bridge between tradition and modern mobilization. She listens to widows, not just MPs. She builds structures, not just speeches.
“Her style is more matriarch than politician,” observed a youth coordinator in West Nile. “And that’s why she’s winning hearts.”
With delegates poised to vote in August, many believe that Kyanika’s candidacy is more than a contest — it’s a referendum on what kind of leadership the NRM Women’s League needs in a post-2026 political future: performative or people-driven.
In the words of one CEC member:
“This isn’t about just choosing a chairperson — it’s about reclaiming the Women’s League as a frontline force in our national politics. And Rehema might be the only one who understands that mission.”
Whether she wins or not, one thing is clear: Princess Kyanika’s campaign has already redefined what power looks like in Uganda’s ruling party — and it doesn’t always come with a microphone.
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