By Bwayo Emma
The Kisoro by-election of November 14, 2024, was not just an election; it was a mirror held up to the state of Uganda’s ruling party, the National Resistance Movement (NRM). While much has been said about the opposition’s embarrassing performance, the real story lies within the NRM itself: a party teetering under the weight of internal rebellion, greed, and mismanagement.
The election result was telling. Alifeza Grace Ngabirano, an independent candidate and former NRM primary contestant, trounced the party’s flag bearer, Rose Kabagenyi, by an overwhelming margin 50,459 votes to 40,492. This wasn’t a victory for the opposition; it was a protest from within the NRM, a glaring signal of discontent among its rank and file.
The cracks in the NRM’s foundation are undeniable. The party has turned its primary elections into a transactional marketplace where the highest bidder secures the flag. Instead of upholding the values of democracy that it claims to champion, the NRM is selling its integrity to the wealthiest relatives, friends, and in-laws of those in power. The result? Candidates imposed on voters who reject them at the polls. Kisoro was just the latest example of this growing trend.
Even more alarming is the infiltration of informal structures operating parallel to the official party organs. Groups like the NRM Civic Front, PLU, and ONC have become hotbeds of factionalism, competing for relevance and undermining the party’s unity. These groups exist to serve the personal ambitions of their leaders, rather than the collective goals of the party.
Instead of empowering grassroots structures, the NRM is splintering into rival camps, weakening its capacity to mobilize genuine support. This decay is compounded by the obsession with flattering the president.
Many NRM leaders have abandoned their core responsibility of recruiting members and fostering party cohesion, choosing instead to shadow the president for personal gain. They spend their time chest-thumping about their proximity to power while the party loses touch with its base.
The Kisoro by-election exposed another glaring flaw: the misuse of mobilization as a short-term election strategy rather than a long-term effort to build party membership. The NRM is increasingly relying on hired mobilizers rather than nurturing committed members. Mobilizers are deployed to secure election victories, but once the elections are over, they are discarded, leaving a leadership vacuum that alienates communities.
To make matters worse, NRM election managers and party leaders openly take sides in internal contests, often fielding their own friends or relatives as candidates. This undermines the democratic process and creates mistrust among members. How can the NRM preach democracy to the nation when it cannot uphold it within its own ranks?
The NRM must prioritize mentorship programs for young leaders, restore internal democracy, and streamline its structures. Informal groups masquerading as mobilization units must be disbanded or integrated into the main party framework through transparent elections.
Most importantly, the party must stop imposing unpopular candidates and allow genuine grassroots leaders to emerge. NRM is at a crossroads. It has the advantage of a disorganized opposition, but this edge will not last if the party continues to cannibalize itself. Kisoro is a wake-up call. The question is whether the NRM will listen or endure more humiliations in the future.
The writer is a concerned party leader and active member of the NRM.
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