Why NRM will sweep the elections

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OPINION

By Mohammed Bagonza

When the National Resistance Movement (NRM) convened its Delegates’ Conference in August at Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala, it was not a mere gathering, but a powerful demonstration of strength, unity and resilience.

It was a reminder to friend and foe alike that the NRM remains firmly at the centre of Uganda’s political heartbeat. The conference showed NRM’s enduring presence and its unwavering commitment to safeguard the gains achieved over the years.

The delegates conference reminded Ugandans who truly commands the nation’s political stage.

To outsiders, the intense lobbying, endless handshakes, and even the reported spending of money to sway delegates appeared messy. But to those who understand politics, this was the clearest sign of NRM’s dominance. Everyone wants to be part of the Movement.

Everyone wants to be close to power. And why? Because NRM is the people’s party; the party that matters, the party that delivers, the party that secures the future.

When aspirants scramble to win positions in NRM’s Central Executive Committee, it is because they know that being in NRM is being at the very centre of Uganda’s destiny. That energy, that competitiveness, is precisely what keeps the Movement strong. What we saw at Kololo is only a rehearsal. Come 2026, this energy will sweep through every village, parish, sub-county, district, and city.

From the smallest position of LC1 to the highest office of the land, NRM is ready to dominate.

The opposition does not stand a chance The Opposition are scattered, disorganised, and drowning in internal squabbles. Their only “strategy” has been shouting unfairness after every election. But the truth is simple: Ugandans vote NRM because NRM is their party. Only a handful of urban noisemakers in Kampala pretend otherwise.

President Museveni’s vision

It would be dishonest to discuss NRM’s resilience without acknowledging the man behind it: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. His vision, discipline, and unmatched ability to mobilise have kept the Movement not only alive but thriving for nearly four decades.

Museveni’s gift for mobilisation is not accidental, it was forged in his youth. At Ntare School and later at the University of Dar es Salaam, he organised student movements (he chaired the University Students’ African Revolutionary Front), travelled to liberation fronts for training, and absorbed the pan-African activism of the era.

Those organising skills translated into Front for National Salvation (FRONASA) in the 1970s which he helped form. FRONASA joined other Ugandan dissidents and Tanzanian forces in the campaign that contributed to Idi Amin’s overthrow in 1979, an early demonstration of Museveni’s ability to organise men and coordinate with regional partners.

Museveni’s post-1979 political activity continued into the turbulent years after Amin.

Following the disputed 1980 election, he led an armed insurgency that became the National Resistance Army (NRA) and fought the Uganda Bush War (1981–1986) against government forces.

The guerrilla force seized Kampala and ushered in a new era for Uganda in 1986; the guerrilla struggle cemented his credentials as an organiser, commander and national political mobiliser.

Museveni’s leadership grew out of both ideology and local rootedness. He learned to organise, to rally peers, and to link politics with practical mobilisation.

Back in Ankole, he repeatedly urged Banyankole to modernise farming, embrace wealth creation and move from subsistence to commercial agriculture, messages he still pushes in policy and speeches today.

That continuity from student organiser to freedom fighter to national leader, is why the NRM continues to rally millions today.

Museveni’s DNA of mobilisation runs through the NRM today. It explains why the party has consistently commanded support in all regions of Uganda, cycle after cycle.

Unlike the Opposition, NRM is not an urban social media phenomenon. It is a grassroots machine with structures firmly rooted in every village.

It is a party where every Ugandan, from farmer to teacher to businessperson, finds representation. This explains why NRM continues to sweep elections at all levels.

Yes, there have been whispers of vote-buying and irregularities. But let’s be honest, these are isolated incidents, not the character of the party.

Where culprits are found, they will face discipline. The opposition must stop living in denial. Ugandans are pro-NRM, period. Claiming “rigging” every election cycle is not a strategy; it is an excuse for failure.

The opposition needs to hear this: NRM is not just preparing for 2026, it is preparing the National Unity Platform (NUP) and other opposition parties for a massive loss.

With the NRM’s organisation, discipline, and unity, it is effectively training the opposition in the art of losing. If 2021 was a shock for them, 2026 will be a humiliation.

The Kololo Delegates Conference was more than an internal party event. It was a loud statement to the nation: NRM is alive, strong, and unstoppable. President Museveni’s leadership continues to steer the Movement with vision, while the opposition chokes on its own confusion.

Ugandans have seen the future, and it is painted yellow. 2026 is not a question of if NRM wins, it is only a matter of by how much.

The writer is the Senior Presidential Advisor on Diaspora Affairs and the head of the State House Diaspora Unit