• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Science
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Tech
Political manipulation, corruption hits NRM, spark integrity concerns among CEC candidates

Political manipulation, corruption hits NRM, spark integrity concerns among CEC candidates

August 17, 2025
Fans show their support with custom jerseys as Uganda cranes stages thrilling comeback against South Africa.

Fans show their support with custom jerseys as Uganda cranes stages thrilling comeback against South Africa.

August 19, 2025
Climate-Smart Vegetable Seeds set to drive Smallholder Resilience in Sahel and West Africa

Climate-Smart Vegetable Seeds set to drive Smallholder Resilience in Sahel and West Africa

August 19, 2025
High Sound for Children Receives Equipment to Empower Teenage Mothers in Kawempe

High Sound for Children Receives Equipment to Empower Teenage Mothers in Kawempe

August 19, 2025
Device financing Models Empowering Ugandans to Build Businesses and Boost Incomes

Device financing Models Empowering Ugandans to Build Businesses and Boost Incomes

August 19, 2025
Uganda Embassy in Washington Launches Export Readiness Training for 100 Artisans

Uganda Embassy in Washington Launches Export Readiness Training for 100 Artisans

August 19, 2025
Museveni breaks silence on Balaalo land disputes

President Museveni Issues One-Month Ultimatum for Cattle Compensation Audit in Northern Uganda

August 18, 2025
Vice President Alupo in Japan for TICAD Summit

Vice President Alupo in Japan for TICAD Summit

August 18, 2025
UTB, Partners Host Rob Walker to Spotlight Sports Tourism Ahead of Mt. Rwenzori Marathon

UTB, Partners Host Rob Walker to Spotlight Sports Tourism Ahead of Mt. Rwenzori Marathon

August 18, 2025
Youth Livelihoods Boosted Through Soya Bean Farming and Agrihub Initiative

Youth Livelihoods Boosted Through Soya Bean Farming and Agrihub Initiative

August 18, 2025
NCBA Champions Education Inclusion as 6,000 Runners Take Part in MakRun 2025

NCBA Champions Education Inclusion as 6,000 Runners Take Part in MakRun 2025

August 18, 2025
Tribunal blow to three ministers signals growing shift in NRM internal politics

Tribunal blow to three ministers signals growing shift in NRM internal politics

August 17, 2025
Framed or Fallen? The Case of Jailed Police Commissioner Mugume

Framed or Fallen? The Case of Jailed Police Commissioner Mugume

August 17, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Tuesday, August 19, 2025
  • Login
Ugnews Line
  • Home
  • News
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Business
    • Politics
    • Blogs
  • Tech
  • Agriculture
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
Ugnews Line
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Political manipulation, corruption hits NRM, spark integrity concerns among CEC candidates

by Deogratias Ssekakozi
August 17, 2025
in News, Opinion, Politics
0
Political manipulation, corruption hits NRM, spark integrity concerns among CEC candidates

The petitioners at Kampala Sheraton Hotel. Photo by Ugnewsline.

14
SHARES
77
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterLinkedinWhatsAppEmail

Just days before the National Resistance Movement (NRM) convenes its highly anticipated National Delegates’ Conference (NDC), a cloud of controversy threatens to cast a shadow over the integrity of the party’s internal electoral process.

Allegations of political sabotage have emerged from within the ruling party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) campaigns, as some of the candidates vying for the chairmanship of the NRM Entrepreneurs League raise alarm over the alleged strategic disappearance of party delegates.

This comes days after the party cautioned candidates against indiscipline during their campaigns and consultation meetings, ahead of the main CEC elections, slated for August 27 and 28.

In a formal petition dated August 15, 2025, addressed to NRM National Chairman and President of Uganda, Gen (Rtd) Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the candidates, Philip Kakuru, King Augustus Ceasor Mulenga, Mukesh Shukla, and Sanjay Tanna, claim that between 190 to 250 delegates have been deliberately moved across borders into Kenya and Tanzania, rendering them inaccessible during the critical final stretch of campaign consultations.

The petition alleges that this tactic, orchestrated by rival aspirants, is a calculated move to block other legitimate candidates from engaging the electorate, a fundamental aspect of any democratic process. They pointed figures to the some incumbent candidates, stressing that it must a deliberated strategic move to fail their opponents.

The petition, reportedly accompanied by a list of affected delegates and photographic evidence (Annexures A and B), has not yet been publicly acknowledged by party authorities, though the seriousness of the claims is unmistakable.

The petitioners signing their document. Photo by Ugnewsline.

However, the group claims to have written several letters to the party Electoral Commission, and Secretary General, but without response, a reason as to why they decided to petition the party chief.

The candidates are now calling for immediate intervention from their chairman Museveni, not only in his capacity as party chairman but as custodian of the NRM’s revolutionary values and internal democracy.

Democratic integrity at stake

At a press briefing held on Saturday, August 16,2025, at Sheraton Hotel in Kampala, lead petitioner Philip Kakuru emphasized that the alleged actions run counter to the democratic principles and organizational guidelines laid out by the party itself.

Kakuru noted that while clear campaign procedures were issued during nominations, and after, many contestants have found themselves unable to reach the delegates due to their sudden disappearance, often in regions where they were previously active and reachable.

He says the rivals who are not yet known want to bring the delegates back during the conference.

“What we are witnessing is the manipulation of socio-economic vulnerabilities for political gain,” Kakuru stated, referring to reports that some delegates were allegedly lured with promises, only to find themselves sequestered in poor conditions outside Uganda.

“This is unpatriotic and undermines not only the values of the NRM but the very fabric of fair competition,” he noted.

Kakuru further cautioned that such undemocratic practices risk turning the party’s internal elections into a spectacle of elite control, where access to resources and influence trumps the revolutionary values the party was built upon.

The concerns voiced by Kakuru and his colleagues hint at a deeper ideological struggle within the NRM, one that pits revolutionary purists against opportunistic actors seeking to entrench personal interests.

“The party is under attack, not from the opposition, but from within,” Kakuru warned. “There are forces attempting to capture the party and subvert its direction.”

This was raised by some candidates in recent convening of the CEC convening on August 12, 2025.

Citing President Museveni’s history of overcoming political and military adversaries, from the days of The Front for National Salvation (FRONASA) to the defeat of insurgencies like that of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels, Kakuru called upon the President to bring his authority to bear in addressing what he described as a “counter-revolutionary” force threatening internal cohesion.

Fellow candidate King Augustus Ceasor Mulenga corroborated Kakuru’s assertions, claiming that in the final 15 days of his campaign, numerous delegates from regions including Northern Uganda, Acholi, and West Nile were found missing, allegedly transported to neighboring countries.

“What kind of candidate hides the very people who are supposed to assess your vision and mandate?” Mulenga asked rhetorically. “It’s not only undemocratic , it’s cowardly.”

Mulenga further alleged that many of the sequestered delegates were misled about the nature of their travel and are now in precarious conditions, requesting government assistance to return.

Can a party claim democratic legitimacy if its electoral processes are marred by coercion, concealment, and manipulation?

A test of the NRM’s democratic maturity

At its core, this controversy represents a critical test of the NRM’s institutional maturity 40 years down the road.

With over four decades of political dominance, the ruling party faces increasing pressure, both from within and outside, to model internal democracy that reflects its constitutional commitments.

Candidates like Mukesh Shukla and Sanjay Tanna, also present at the press briefing, echoed a united call for a leveled ground, transparency, equity, and the immediate repatriation of all delegates allegedly taken across borders.

“The revolution is not for sale,” Kakuru noted. “It is not something to be privatized by a few selfish individuals seeking office at any cost. The cadres of the revolution must remain patriotic and guided by the principles of service, not survival.”

As the NRM prepares for its National Delegates’ Conference, the spotlight is now firmly on how the party leadership, especially President Museveni, will respond.

The resolution of this crisis could set a precedent for future internal processes and define whether the party remains rooted in its revolutionary ethos or strays into the realm of elite manipulation.

Share6Tweet4Share1SendSend
Deogratias Ssekakozi

Deogratias Ssekakozi

Ugnews Line

Copyright © 2024 Ugnewsline.

Navigate Site

  • Home
  • News
  • Tech
  • Agriculture
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Business
    • Politics
    • Blogs
  • Tech
  • Agriculture
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle

Copyright © 2024 Ugnewsline.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Go to mobile version