Kyankwanzi, Uganda: The Minister of State for Lands, Hon Persis Namuganza, has appealed to President Yoweri Museveni, who is also the Party Chairman, to intervene after claiming that senior officials at the NRM Secretariat attempted to block her from attending the party’s upcoming parliamentary caucus retreat in Kyankwanzi.
The retreat, scheduled from Tuesday, April 7 to next Wednesday, April 15 at the National Leadership Institute in Kyankwanzi, is expected to bring together elected NRM Members of Parliament and more than 40 Independents aligned to the ruling party.
In an exclusive interview with a local newspaper, Ms Namuganza, who is also vying for the Speakership, accused some Secretariat officials of trying to subject her to what she described as “illegal procedures” aimed at restricting her participation.
“These people wanted to subject me to illegal procedures like making me commit to signing a MoU with the party, but this is our party and I am NRM. Why would you subject me to such unfair treatment?” Namuganza said, as quoted by the publication.
“I reported them to the President, and he invited me in his personal capacity as the National Chairperson of the Party, so I will definitely attend the retreat,” she added.
Namuganza further defended her political standing, arguing that her historical ties to the NRM, including her involvement in the formation of the party’s National Youth League, should not be questioned despite her Independent status.
“When I raised the issue to the President, he wondered why these people were behaving this way because being an Independent doesn’t stop you from interacting with the party of your choice,” she said.
However, NRM spokesperson Emmanuel Dombo dismissed the claims, maintaining that no individual had been barred from participating in the retreat.
“No one has been stopped from attending. We only asked Independents to register so that we know who will attend and we prepare for them,” Dombo said.
“No one is forcing her to sign a MoU with NRM for now because they are just MPs-elect until they swear in, but we asked them to register, which I don’t think is illegal,” he added.
According to Dombo, the Kyankwanzi retreat will focus on orienting legislators on party ideology, governance, national security, regional geopolitics, and political economy, with particular emphasis on the party’s “Musevenomics” framework.
He said the sessions will also address human capital development, infrastructure, agriculture, and the legislative role of Parliament in managing public expectations.
“We shall have a number of presentations about the economy, the party, among others, and take new legislators through the expectations of the masses and challenges they are likely to face during their tenure, as well as give solutions on how to overcome them,” Dombo explained.
The developments come amid heightened political manoeuvring within the ruling party, as contenders position themselves ahead of key parliamentary leadership contests, including the race for Speaker.
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