Kampala, Uganda: Retired Major Okwir Rwaboni has attributed the National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) four decades in power to what he described as genuine popularity among Ugandans, particularly in rural communities, and not to dictatorship as often alleged by critics.
Speaking in an interview, Rtd. Maj. Rwaboni said that President Yoweri Museveni enjoys broad support because many citizens recognise his achievements and leadership qualities despite a persistent campaign by urban-based opponents to paint the ruling party in negative colours.
“The NRM has survived for 40 years in government because we have a political thermometer. We listen to the people, and this helps us to know that the people who oppose NRM are urban-based and few,” he said.
According to Rwaboni, the ruling party’s staying power comes from its deliberate strategy of monitoring public sentiment, addressing grievances, and focusing on development that directly impacts the rural majority.
He claimed that opposition voices are mostly concentrated in towns and have little electoral consequence compared to the NRM’s deep rural base.
“Ugandans like President Museveni and see him as a good leader. Unlike a few people who try to paint the NRM as bad, the majority appreciate the changes he has brought to the country,” Rwaboni noted.
It should be recalled that opposition parties and leaders have repeatedly accused President Museveni and the NRM of orchestrating vote rigging and other irregularities to remain in power — allegations the government has consistently denied.
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