Kampala, Uganda: Youth candidates for the different NRM Youth League Executive positions and Youth MP flagbearers were left stranded at the party Secretariat in Kampala on Monday amid growing confusion over the fate of the forthcoming rescheduled elections.
The candidates, many of whom had traveled from upcountry districts and municipalities, told this publication that they had been summoned by the current NRM Youth League Chairman, Hon. Gaddafi Nasur, for a meeting at the Secretariat, which was to precede an engagement with the National Chairman, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, to address their grievances ahead of Thursday’s rerun of the youth elections.
However, by Monday evening, the candidates claimed they had been abandoned without clarity. “We were instructed to undergo Covid-19 tests in preparation for a meeting with the National Chairman, but now we are stuck here with no communication. Hours are counting down to the elections, and we don’t even know what comes next,” one disgruntled candidate told DailyExpress.
Youth Seek Museveni’s Standing Order
The youth candidates also used the same opportunity to demand from H.E Museveni, in his dual role as President and NRM National Chairman, to overturn the Central Executive Committee (CEC) decision to decentralize the elections to district level, arguing that the President had earlier promised that the polls would be centralized at Kololo during the National Delegates Conference.
“We are not refusing elections, but if they are to be decentralized, then another date must be set. The time left is not enough to prepare agents and logistics across 151 districts,” another youth leader said.
By Monday evening, the Secretariat had not issued clear logistical or financial guidelines for Thursday’s elections, fueling further frustration among the candidates, but the NRM Secretary General, Rt. Hon. Richard Todwong released a memo reconfirming that the elections will proceed on Thursday, September 18, 2025, as earlier directed by CEC.
“This is to reconfirm that the elections will take place on Thursday, 18th September 2025, in all the districts of Uganda. The NRM Electoral Commission will issue guidelines for the elections as required, while the National Treasurer will provide administrative arrangements to facilitate the delegates,” Todwong stated, moments after a heated exchange with the youth candidates.
“Please note, this election has not been postponed and will proceed as directed by the NRM Central Executive Committee,” Todwong emphasized.
Press Conference Threat
However, despite the SG’s directive, the frustrated youth candidates have vowed to hold a press conference tomorrow (Tuesday, September 16), which they will use to directly appeal to President Museveni, insisting their voices must be heard before Thursday’s election exercise.
“We cannot sit back when the process is already compromised. We shall go to the media and ask Jjajja himself to intervene,” one candidate, vying for the position of Youth League chairperson, warned.
The standoff now sets the stage for heightened tension within the ruling party’s youth wing, just days before the polls.
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