Four decades of NRM’s strategic cadreship

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OPINION

By Stephen Asiimwe

As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of NRM today, January 26, 2026, the nation stands at a pivotal juncture. What Gen. YKM said in 1986, that it was not merely a transfer of power but “a Fundamental Change” that rescued a collapsed state from almost 2 ½ (two half) decades of Violence and institutional decay. The movement's legitimacy, which began in the Luwero triangle and culminated in the capture of power in 1986, has fully restored stability to the state of Uganda for 40 years today. Our theme this year is a tribute to the patriots who ushered in a fundamental change.

The balance sheet, the NRM’S four-decade tenure has delivered a statistical revolution, stabilising the economy and laying the physical infrastructure for industrialisation. Inheriting an economy with negative growth in 1986, the country has grown 13 times, and is projected to grow at 7.6% this financial year. Over the Past few years, the country under NRM leadership has demonstrated resilience amidst global disruption from the pandemic, geographical tensions, inflationary pressures and tighter global financial conditions.

Gross domestic product (GDP) growth has averaged around 6 percent inflation has been largely contained, and the financial sector remains stable and well capitalised. This reflects competent leadership and cardreship as Uganda prepares to transit unto upper middle-income status. Infrastructure has expanded dramatically, paved roads have grown from a meagre 1,900km in 1986 to over 6338km today, and electricity generation has exploded from 60 megawatts to 2048 megawatts.

Simultaneously, Investments in health have pushed life expectancy from 45.6 to 70 years. This progress rests on four Ideological pillars designed to cure sectarianism, corruption and general backwardness: Patriotism, Pan-Africanism, Social-economic.

Transformation and Democracy, despite these achievements the NRM faces a critical challenge the erosion of historical legitimacy among the Bazukulu (grandchildren) most of them born after 1986, This group requires a lot of ideological cleansing in order to understand Uganda East Africa and Africa as a whole, their continued misunderstanding of Uganda and suffering from Ideological Malnutrition where new recruits often act as “fortune hunters” seeking employment rather than working for the common good, continues to scare away committed cadres of the revolution and that’s what exactly KANU, UPC and others suffered from, which we must endeavor to avoid for the NRM to program into the future.

A strategic Blueprint for sustainable cardreship through training benchmarking with progressive parties around the world should be prioritised for the next 40 years to come.

The National Leadership Institute (NALI) must be upgraded into an accredited ideological university, expanding its curriculum to attract a good number of cadres from different sectors of government and the region. The party must try to recruit and deploy cadres with proven success in the community and other professions that a country requires for transformation.

The NRM has successfully poured the concrete for a modern state, connecting the nation from border to border, however, a tarmac cannot defend a revolution only conscious ideologically grounded cardreship can, as we begin another five years of new elected leaders let’s try as much as possible to reduce charlatans in position of leadership and recruit strategically good cadres capable of stewarding Uganda’s transformation into the future.