NRM CEC captured by “Yes Yes Mobilizers”, Museveni left unchecked

By Lukanga Samuel

Kololo, Kampala: The recent developments in Uganda’s ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) paint a disturbing picture: the Central Executive Committee (CEC), once seen as the party’s highest decision-making organ and a potential check on the excesses of President Yoweri Museveni, has now been thoroughly captured by sycophants and opportunists.

Reports emerging from the party’s internal elections suggest that so-called “Yes Yes Mobilizers”—a group of loyalists whose primary qualification appears to be blind support for Museveni—have bought their way into the top ranks of the CEC. Their method? Bribery, patronage, and the manipulation of internal democratic processes.

This trend is not merely a reflection of corruption; it’s a symptom of a deeper decay. The NRM has long abandoned any pretense of internal democracy, but this new era marks an even more troubling shift. With CEC seats going to the highest bidder or the loudest praise-singer, the committee has ceased to be a space for critical thinking, debate, or strategic oversight. Instead, it’s now an echo chamber for Museveni’s views—rubber-stamping whatever the “supreme leader” proposes.

Museveni, already in power for nearly four decades, has mastered the art of consolidating power. The removal of age limits, the militarization of politics, and the strategic appointments of loyalists in every key institution have all but eliminated real checks on his authority. The CEC was one of the few remaining bodies that, at least in theory, could offer internal resistance or advice contrary to his views. That buffer is now gone.

By ensuring only the most loyal (and wealthy) individuals sit at the table, Museveni has successfully insulated himself from dissent, creating a party that exists not to govern with accountability, but to serve his personal rule. Policy debate has been replaced with applause. Strategy has been replaced with flattery. The result is a political structure more fragile than it appears: a one-man show masquerading as a party.

Ugandans must ask: where does this leave the future of governance? With CEC now filled with “Yes Yes” loyalists, the NRM is unlikely to produce any internal reform or succession planning. The party has become Museveni’s personal project, with no one willing or able to challenge his opinion—even when national interests are at stake.

In the end, the cost of this capture will be borne not by the CEC members who bought their seats, but by ordinary Ugandans whose voices are increasingly shut out of a political system designed to benefit a few. Museveni may be left unchecked, but that unchecked power is a ticking time bomb—not just for the NRM, but for Uganda as a whole.

The writer is a Social Development enthusiast, an Ambassador of Humanity and youth leader from Nakaseke District.