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.
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.
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