Kampala, Uganda: NRM Vice Chairperson Central Region aspirant Kyeswa Hakim has pledged to lead a radical shift in the ruling party’s leadership, blaming “lazy and unresponsive” officials within the Central Executive Committee (CEC) for the recent political setbacks in Buganda.
Kyeswa, who is poised to win the CEC election at the upcoming NRM Delegates Conference on August 28, said the surge of support for the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) in Buganda was not a rejection of the NRM but a protest vote triggered by internal failures within the party.
“Buganda has always been a stronghold of support for President Museveni and the NRM. However, the recent NUP wave was not a rejection of the NRM but a protest against lazy and unresponsive leaders within our party, especially in the Central Executive Committee (CEC),” Kyeswa said in a statement issued on Sunday.
The Mukono-born mobiliser emphasized that his candidacy is anchored on confronting two critical issues hurting the party’s image: land grabbing and corruption.
“We need clear policies in CEC that translate into strong legislation to shield Bibanja holders from land grabbers,” he stated, adding that widespread corruption has “eroded public trust” and must be “rooted out decisively.”
Kyeswa, who has previously served as a national youth mobiliser under the Office of the National Chairman (ONC), now seeks to challenge the status quo with the campaign slogan: “Nothing for Us Without Us.”
He argues that Buganda’s loyalty to the NRM remains intact, but the party must urgently reawaken its grassroots structures and enforce accountability among its leaders.
The position of NRM Vice Chairperson for Central Region is currently held by former State Minister for Tourism, Godfrey Kiwanda Ssuubi, and is one of the most closely watched slots ahead of the August 27-28 party’s delegates conference at Kololo. Sources within the party indicate a growing desire for youthful, grassroots-oriented leaders to take up CEC roles.
Kyeswa’s remarks come at a time when the NRM Secretariat is facing pressure to rebrand itself ahead of the 2025/2026 electoral cycle, and intensive reforms and leadership renewals have already begun internlly, with multiple regions witnessing hotly contested races for top party positions.
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