No appointments yet to NRM CEC as Historicals – State House

Kampala, Uganda: State House has dismissed reports circulating that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has appointed new members to the National Resistance Movement Central Executive Committee (CEC) under the category of historicals, describing the claims as false and premature.

In a brief statement issued on Friday, February 06, the Senior Press Secretary to the President, Mr Sandor Lyle Walusimbi, said no official decision or communication has been made regarding appointments to the NRM’s top decision-making organ.

“Claims circulating in an online publication that H.E. the President has appointed individuals to the CEC of the NRM as ‘historicals’ are false,” Walusimbi said in a statement via X, formerly Twitter. “No such official communication has been issued. Should any official communication be made, the public will be duly informed through the appropriate channels.”

The clarification by PPU follows widespread reports suggesting that President Museveni had appointed senior party figures, including former Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, Ministers Gen Kahinda Otafiire and Gen Jim Muhwezi, to the CEC as historicals, a category traditionally reserved for key figures of the liberation struggle and long-serving party leaders.

The CEC is the highest policy-making and decision-making body of the NRM, responsible for setting party direction, endorsing candidates, supervising party organs and ensuring alignment between party strategy and government priorities.

Appointments to the committee are closely watched, as they often signal internal power shifts and succession planning within the ruling party.

The NRM secretariat had not issued any separate statement by press time, leaving the matter unresolved amid continued speculation within party circles over potential adjustments to the CEC ahead of key political milestones.