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OPINION

By Stephen T. Bujingo

On February 28, the national chairman of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), Gen. (rtd) Yoweri Museveni, launched the exercise to display, update and register all the party members in Uganda.

I was pleased to attend the function in my capacity as the co-ordinator of the office of the national chairman of NRM in Nakasongola district. I thank my immediate supervisor Hajat Hadijah Namyalo for the astuteness she demonstrated towards mobilising the thousands of people from different parts of Kampala that welcomed Gen. Museveni at the party’s head office at Kyadondo.

Obviously, at the conclusion of the aforesaid exercise, NRM leadership will embark on organising party primaries for the respective flag bearers for the 2026 general election.

The election is crucial, especially in greater Luwero, where Gen. Museveni and the party in general had a poor performance during the last election. It lost the majority of seats to the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP), headed by Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine. Gen. Museveni registered the biggest drop in electoral popularity in Luwero. He garnered only 40,116 votes (27.94%) while Kyagulanyi scored 103,782 (70.45%).

For the first time since 1996, NRM lost all the four parliamentary seats in Luwero to NUP. Since then the NRM has been devising strategies to reclaim the seats and the electoral strength of Gen. Museveni.

Here’s what we have to do in order to reclaim greater Luwero. Desist from infighting and divisive politics amongst party cadres during primaries, especially at parliamentary level.

It is unfortunate that my party has failed to come up with an effective mechanism that settles internal conflicts when it comes to its primaries and it has always come back to haunt it.

The NRM wouldn’t have lost the Luwero District Woman MP seat to the Opposition, if the internal bickering in the party had been resolved. That is how the former member of DP Brenda Nabukenya won with 76,801 votes, while the NRM candidate, Cissy Mulondo, got 40,353 votes.

The other candidates were Prossy Najjuka (opposition-leaning independent), Miriam Nakiganda (independent), Nanyanzi Shifah (JEEMA) and Pheobeh Namulindwa (NRM independent).

It was also largely infighting that cost the NRM the Bamunanika seat. Famous academician and state minister for higher education lost to NUP’s Robert Ssekitoleeko. He got 24,463 votes while Ssekitoleko had 27,850 votes.

The failure to resolve internal contradictions within NRM cost the party the Katikamu North and Katikamu South constituencies.

Internal conflicts were between cadres Nassur Gaddafi, Fredrick Makaire and former LC5 chairperson Ronald Ndawula. Their bickering enabled NUP’s Dennis Sekabira to win with 18,750 votes followed by Nasur (10,771 votes) Ndawula (7,006 votes) and Makaire (3,416 votes).

It is obvious that if you summed up the votes the three bickering NRM cadres got, they are more than what the NUP candidate got. Therefore, it is the internal divisions and jostling that cost NRM that seat.

The other issue which the NRM has to address early is the service delivery. I am happy that Namyalo has been imploring NRM elected leaders to monitor government projects in their areas. Let all other NRM leaders join this campaign.

If we ensured that people receive these services as the President keeps urging, then greater Luwero will be reclaimed from the jaws of NUP. There is need to equip hospitals, health centres in Luwero.

There is also need to facilitate new town councils with road funds. These town councils include Kikyusa, Zirobwe and Busiika. The Government must expedite the paving of Gayaza-Busiika road which connects the urban centres of Zirobwe, Kikyusa, Luwero up to Butalangu.

The NRM Government should also resolve the several unfulfilled pledges to war veterans.

The writer is the co-ordinator of the office of the national chairman of NRM in Nakasongola