Entebbe, Uganda: First Deputy Prime Minister Rt Hon Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga engaged in a sharp showdown with Parliament Speaker Anita Among during the NRM National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Saturday, August 23, warning that the bitter Central Executive Committee (CEC) contest risks tearing the party apart.
“Our party guidelines are very clear. When one seeks office, they must show what they have done for the Movement in the last ten years. Those rules have not changed. Yet the person now aspiring to this office—Rt. Hon. Anita Among—has served in the NRM for only three years,” Kadaga told delegates, drawing attention to her long service compared to her rival’s brief tenure.
A stalwart who began as an LC1 chairperson for the NRM in 1989, Kadaga, fondly addressed as Mama Busoga lamented that sidelining senior cadres—like herself—in favor of “newcomers” fuels discontent, particularly in her stronghold of Busoga.
“I have been a loyal member of this party since its inception. My journey began in 1989 as Chairperson of RC1 in my village in Bugabula, then to RC2, and later to the National Resistance Council. I have never belonged to any other political party,” she told the delegates, thwarting off attempts to block her speech before the President.
Kadaga reminded delegates of her long career in party service, citing her patience in rising through the ranks.
“I myself served seven years as a backbencher before becoming Minister of Regional Cooperation. I exercised patience and respect for the structures of the party. Why then should someone who has barely served three years rush to the top of the Movement?”
“I have warned that if this matter goes to contest, it will cause serious problems in my community. People will think the party is fighting me, not simply engaging in competition. That is not healthy for the politics of Uganda,” she added.
A Bitter Rivalry over the years
The rivalry between Kadaga and Among dates back to their contest for the speakership in 2021, when Among succeeded the late Jacob Oulanyah after defeating Kadaga’s successor.
Once Busoga’s political bastion, Kadaga’s influence has been challenged by Among, who quickly established herself as a rising force, especially after becoming Speaker in 2022.
In a surprising political realignment, Kadaga, once bitter rivals with Minister Persis Namuganza over Busoga’s internal disputes, recently formed an alliance with her to confront Among’s growing dominance.
At one meeting in May, Kadaga openly questioned the impartiality of NRM’s Electoral Commission under Dr. Tanga Odoi and raised concerns about Among’s fitness for high party office due to international sanctions.
Meanwhile, Kamuli, Kadaga’s home district, has witnessed growing support for Among—an upset that symbolises shifting loyalties and fractures within Busoga politics.
But Kadaga in her “hot-peppered speech” appealed to President Museveni, the party’s National Chairperson, and NEC delegates to uphold NRM’s founding values.“This is not just about me. It is about the values of the NRM—commitment, loyalty, patience, and respect for structures. If those values are ignored, then what message are we sending to the membership and to the country?”
Stakes for the Party
Political observers warn that this contest transcends personal rivalry, it reflects deep generational and ideological divisions. With the 2026 general elections approaching, the outcome of this battle for the female NRM vice chairmanship could signal whether the party prioritises loyalty and legacy, or reinvention.
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