NRM primaries: Party electoral body sets conditions for Museveni rivals

KAMPALA - The National Resistance Movement (NRM) electoral commission says it has officially opened competition for the positions of party presidential flag-bearer and the chairperson.

The Tuesday, July 1, 2025, move allows candidates to pick up and return nomination forms for the above positions. 

Initially, the party electoral commission had ring-fenced the two positions for incumbent President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni following the 2019 party central executive committee (CEC) resolution that endorsed him as sole candidate for the party's presidential flag-bearer and chairpersonship for 2021 and beyond.

As a result, the electoral body on Monday, June 30, blocked two candidates from picking up nomination forms to challenge President Museveni. Initial reports indicated that the prospective contenders, among whom is Briton Kiwanuka, 30, were turned away from the party's electoral commission offices over the unavailability of nomination forms.

However, NRM electoral commission chairperson Tanga Odoi says the two positions are now open and the aspirants must meet specific requirements, including paying a nomination fee of shillings 20 million and collecting 100 signatures from each district in Uganda before the closure of exercise on Friday (July 4th, 2025).

The nomination exercise has started today and will end on Friday, July 4, for all other CEC positions except president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni who will be nominated on Saturday, July 5.