Kampala, Uganda: The National Resistance Movement (NRM) National Chairman and President of Uganda, H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, has officially launched the party’s manifesto for 2026–2031, pledging to safeguard past achievements and accelerate Uganda’s march to high middle-income status.
The launch, attended by senior party leaders, ministers, and Members of Parliament, showcased the NRM’s strategic vision for continued socio-economic transformation.
Mr Museveni emphasized that the manifesto, themed “Protecting the Gains and Ensuring a Qualitative Leap into High Middle–Income Status,” reflects the Movement’s six-decade journey and outlines priorities for the next five years.
In his address, the President highlighted peace and security as the cornerstone of national development, reaffirming the need for stability while warning against crime and corruption. He stressed the importance of expanding infrastructure, including roads, railways, electricity, schools, and health facilities, as essential backbones of social and economic progress.
Museveni also underscored wealth creation and productive household enterprises as crucial for generating jobs, while committing to strengthening service delivery in health, education, and security to meet the growing needs of the population.
He further emphasized the significance of regional and continental markets, including East African integration, to ensure that Ugandan products find sustainable outlets. Unity and political stability, he noted, remain fundamental, cautioning against divisive tribal politics and calling for national cohesion.
Museveni explained that these pillars are interconnected, forming a chain in which peace fosters development, development creates wealth, wealth generates jobs, and markets sustain growth. The manifesto, he said, is a guide for leaders and citizens alike, illustrating how each aspect of governance contributes to the country’s overall transformation.
Other party leaders reinforced the vision presented by Museveni. Al-Hajji Moses Kigongo, the NRM First National Vice Chairperson, called for disciplined, grassroots-driven campaigns, emphasizing the strength of the party’s structures in mobilizing support across the country.
Rt. Hon. Annet Anita Among, Second National Vice Chairperson (Female), praised the manifesto for its clarity and highlighted achievements in social services, including healthcare, education, and skilling programs.
She also noted the expansion of agro-industrialization through industrial zones in multiple districts and the growth of financial services and micro-credit initiatives supporting youth, women, and innovation.
The NRM Secretary General, Rt. Hon. Richard Todwong reiterated the party’s ideological consistency, emphasizing that each manifesto builds on the last to advance Uganda’s transformation. He highlighted tangible accomplishments under NRM stewardship, including a projected GDP of $66.1 billion by FY2025/26, a reduction in poverty from 21.4% in 2016 to 16.1% in 2025, and a decline in subsistence households from 68.9% to 33.1%.
Todwong also pointed to industrial growth, with factories increasing from 37,559 in 2020 to around 50,000 today, and a rebound in tourism earnings to $1.32 billion with 1.37 million arrivals in FY2024. Life expectancy has risen from 45 years in 1986 to 68 years, infant mortality has fallen from 122 deaths per 1,000 live births to 28, and Universal Primary Education enrollment has grown from 2.5 million in 1996 to 9.1 million learners by 2025.
The SG urged Ugandans to focus on completing the nation’s transformation by promoting value addition in agriculture and minerals, resolving land use issues, and bringing every Ugandan into the money economy. He stressed that the next phase of national development requires citizens to build on the gains already made, ensuring that growth is inclusive, sustainable, and transformative for all.
The launch of the NRM manifesto signals a clear commitment to continued social and economic progress, setting the stage for the 2026–2031 electoral cycle and reaffirming the party’s promise to protect Uganda’s hard-won achievements while advancing toward high middle-income status.
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