Kampala, Uganda: A group of youthful aspirants contesting for top Central Executive Committee (CEC) positions in the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) have raised serious concerns, objecting the current vetting process by incumbent CEC members, which they describe as “unfair and undemocratic,” as the party readies for the National Delegates Conference on August 27–28, 2025.
Addressing a joint press conference in Kampala on Thursday, July 31, Hakim Kyeswa (aspiring National Vice Chairperson, Central), Buyela Christopher (aspiring Vice Chairperson, Eastern), Kyanika Rehema (aspiring National Chairperson, Women’s League), and Sadat Sserugo Nsiegumire (aspiring Vice Chairperson, Kampala) accused the current CEC of sidelining delegates, stifling internal democracy, and frustrating meaningful engagement by upcoming leaders.
“You cannot vet me when I’m contesting against you,” said Kyeswa, denouncing the move by current CEC members to preside over vetting exercises for aspirants challenging them. “This amounts to political malpractice. We call upon the National Chairman to intervene and halt this sham process.”
Kyeswa, a widely popular voice in the central, also criticised the agenda for the upcoming Delegates Conference, saying it lacks any meaningful constitutional review, insisting that it should not be a ceremonial gathering but a platform to amend the NRM constitution, especially sections dealing with the qualifications of district and village registrars.
“Since 2014, we have not reviewed our party constitution. Meanwhile, the challenges we face, including chaotic primaries, are rooted in that very constitution. The delegates must have a say in shaping party policy,” he added.
Kyeswa vocally demanded joint campaign platforms with incumbents to allow public scrutiny of their records. “Let me stand next to Kiwanda and ask him what he has done for the party. How does a man who failed as an MP qualify to mobilize for the president?” he asked.
“We paid Shs 5 million for nominations, why are we not being facilitated to speak directly to the electorate?”
CEC Members Have Betrayed the Regions
Buyela Christopher, who is contesting for the Eastern Uganda CEC seat, lamented the growing disconnect between the incumbent Mukula and the people he claims to represent. “Where is Mike Mukula’s office in the East? Our people don’t even know lifts, yet their supposed leader operates from the 11th floor in Kampala,” he said.
“For 20 years, there’s been no effective representation of Eastern Uganda. The cake is shared in Kampala, not in the villages,” he added.
Buyela also alleged that many current CEC members are only in politics to protect business interests and avoid accountability, warning that if the party doesn’t clean house, independents and opposition will overrun NRM in 2026.
“Ask yourself why 95% of civil servants don’t subscribe to NRM ideology. Because CEC has failed to push the Kyankwanzi ideological grounding. They only emerge during elections to manipulate outcomes.”
Kyanika: Women in NRM Are Demoralized, Left Behind
On her part, Kyanika Rehema decried the deepening marginalization of women in party structures, despite constitutional provisions guaranteeing 30% participation in programs like PDM. “Women at the grassroots are crying, disappointed, and disillusioned. The Women’s League has gone dormant while a few elite women feast at the top,” Rehema said.
The ONC Regional Coordinator for Busoga pledged to revive the NRM Women’s League from the grassroots up and advocate for the re-establishment of cooperative and commercial banks to empower rural women economically.
“I want to be a voice for the voiceless. I am because you are, and you are because I am,” she said. “This is not just a campaign, it is a movement for real, inclusive leadership.”
The four aspirants jointly dismissed attempts by the current CEC to discourage delegates from engaging with challengers, warning that attempts to impose leaders without debate would backfire.
The candidates, however, reaffirmed their loyalty to President Museveni as party chairman, but warned that unless internal reform is embraced, NRM risks alienating its youthful base and core constituencies.
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