NRM calls for unity, reconciliation among members to boost support

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Ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party leaders in Kampala have emphasised the need for reconciliation and unity among all party members as preparations intensify for the 2026 general elections.

Party officials say internal divisions have long undermined the NRM’s performance in the capital, despite its extensive grassroots structures.

Speaking during a mobilisation meeting in Makindye, NRM vice-chairperson for Kampala region Salim Uhuru Nsubuga urged members to put aside past grievances and focus on collective support for President Yoweri Museveni and other NRM flag bearers.

“I want us to put our differences aside and forgive those who have wronged us before. Let us move as one family. This is the only way we can win because we have the structures and the numbers right from the village level to the district,” Uhuru said.

Uhuru noted that despite the NRM’s deep organisational presence across Kampala, disunity has cost the party key positions in previous elections, not only in Kampala but even other parts of the country.

“We must change this narrative this time round. We must set our differences aside and work for our party. That is when we shall get the services we need in the city, because our opponents are always fighting government programmes,” he added.

Uhuru is the only NRM leader currently holding a mayoral seat in Kampala, serving as the Mayor of Kampala Central Division.

Of the 85 Lord Councillors in the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), only two represent the NRM.

“Can you imagine, I have been the only candidate from NRM in Kampala for years? This must change this time round,” he noted, attributing past losses to neglect of lower structures.

He emphasised that local leaders will now be facilitated to mobilise support in all their villages.

To boost its prospects in the 2026 elections in Kampala, the party activated a grassroots mobilisation campaign throughout all the five divisions: Rubaga, Makindye, Nakawa, Central, and Kawempe, where village structures will be taking the lead in hunting for votes for President Museveni and party flag bearers.

Uhuru also appealed to independent candidates who broke away after disputed primaries to step down in favour of official NRM flag bearers.

“Let us work together to ensure our flag bearers win. If we get divided, we shall only be paving way for the opposition. We should do this for the good of the party,” he noted.

While addressing NRM leaders in the Nakawa, Makindye, and Kawempe divisions in separate meetings held on November 12 and 13, 2026, the NRM deputy secretary general Rose Namayanja, echoed Uhuru’s message, cautioning that internal divisions only weaken the party’s prospects.

She also used the platform to present all the Kampala NRM flag bearers contesting at various levels in Kampala.

Emphasising party unity, Namayanja urged members to vote exclusively for candidates under the NRM banner, reminding them to “tick the bus”, the party’s official symbol.

“I urge you to forget about your differences in these two remaining months so that we fight and win the battle together and make President Museveni win Kampala,” she said.

Ugandans are set to cast their votes on January 15, 2026, to elect the next President and Members of Parliament.

The presidential race features the incumbent and NRM flag bearer, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, facing seven challengers: Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (National Unity Platform), Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Gregory Mugisha Muntu (Alliance for National Transformation), James Nathan Nandala Mafabi (Forum for Democratic Change), Mubarak Munyagwa (Common Man’s Party), Frank Bulira Kabinga (Revolutionary People’s Party), Mabirizi Joseph (Conservative Party), and Kasibante Robert (National Peasants Party).

“In 2026, we want Kampala. If you are an NRM and you vote for another candidate from the opposition, they will laugh at you and the party. Your vote means the future development of Kampala,” she added.

Namayanja confirmed that the party’s top leadership and the President himself had endorsed the decision to let party village structures lead mobilisation efforts.

“So, this is your time to ensure NRM wins. You are going to be supported in all ways to ensure you reach every household and preach the NRM gospel,” she added.

State House Comptroller, Jane Barekye, reminded leaders of the government’s development programs targeting poverty reduction, noting that awareness remains low among urban dwellers.

“Ghetto structures have been given sh100 million each, and even the boda boda stages through their SACCOs. Move home to home, stage to stage, and ask the targeted groups if they know anything about this. If they don’t, help them so they can benefit. See whether they have benefited from PDM, and register those who have not benefited yet,” she said.

Amina Lukanga Nanziri, the NRM flag bearer for Kampala Woman MP, said empowering local structures would play a crucial role in reversing the trend.

“It is good our local structures are being empowered now to take lead in the hunt for votes, because they had been neglected in the past elections. I believe it is the reason we have been losing. We just need to put our differences aside and work for the good of the party,” she said.

Similarly, Moses Kizito Nsubuga, contesting for Kampala Lord Mayor, called the new approach a “fresh start” for the ruling party in Kampala.

“We all accept our mistakes and apologise to have a new beginning. Let us all put our strength at the village level. This is our time to liberate Kampala from bad leadership. A Lord Mayor is very key in the development of his people. We need to put aside the politics of sympathy and focus on development,” he said.

He criticised the city’s current leadership for failing to tackle long-standing issues such as floods.

“Kampala doesn’t need a lawyer but an administrator whose work is to ensure better services for the people. Let us make Museveni win and also give him a team to work with,” he added.