Kampala, Uganda: The National Resistance Movement (NRM) is facing a generational reckoning as youthful candidates dominate the party’s ongoing internal elections, with implications that could dramatically shift power dynamics ahead of the 2026 general polls.
Recent grassroots elections at sub-county and municipal levels have seen youth clinch nearly 80% of key party leadership positions, signaling a revolt against aging party elites long accused of corruption, detachment, and weakening the NRM’s grip on its base.
The outcome is poised to redefine the composition of the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC), as the newly elected youth leaders will directly influence the next top leadership lineup.
In the high-stakes battle for NRM Vice Chairperson for Central Region, the generational clash is coming to a head. Hakim Kyeswa, a charismatic figure from the NRM Youth League, has emerged as a frontrunner, buoyed by overwhelming support from young delegates who are pushing for accountability and grassroots visibility over financial muscle.
Kyeswa is taking on two seasoned contenders, Minister for Microfinance Haruna Kasolo and former Tourism State Minister Godfrey Kiwanda Suubi, both of whom now face waning support due to tarnished records.
Kasolo is battling public backlash over his alleged mishandling of Emyooga SACCO funds and has come under fire for what critics call “double-dipping” by seeking a CEC post while still in Cabinet. “Ask him if district chairpersons ever saw a penny from his ministry,” one delegate challenged during last week’s vetting process.
Kiwanda, who once led the “Buganda for Museveni” campaign, is facing internal calls to withdraw from the race entirely. Many blame him for the NRM’s poor performance in Buganda during the 2021 elections, citing alleged misuse of mobilization funds.
Sources say he [Kiwanda] is now weighing whether to focus on defending his parliamentary seat instead.
Also attempting a comeback is Kalangwa Kaliisa, the controversial Kayunga NRM chairperson who was trounced in 2020. Kalangwa’s candidacy has drawn sharp criticism, with delegates citing unresolved land grabbing allegations and describing him as “a relic of the past.”
The growing divide reflects a deeper identity crisis within the NRM. In Buganda, a region seen as pivotal to the party’s national fortunes, delegates are increasingly disillusioned with longtime leaders who, they argue, use party offices for personal gain and neglect mobilization duties.
“Some of them treat the party as a side hustle,” a youth delegate in Wakiso said. “They only show up when there’s something to gain.”
If the youth wave continues to surge, observers say it could lead to the most dramatic overhaul of the CEC in decades, injecting fresh energy into the party’s aging structures. But the transformation risks triggering internal fractures, especially if veteran politicians resist ceding ground.
With the NRM entering a crucial pre-election phase, the question now is whether Africa’s longest-ruling party can adapt to a generational shift or whether its entrenched elites will cling to power at all costs.
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