Published on 05/07/2025
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has today formally accepted the nomination unopposed as both National Chairman of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and the party’s 2026 Presidential Flag Bearer, vowing to steer Uganda towards an ambitious economic transformation anchored on value addition, industrialization, and regional integration.
Addressing thousands of delegates and supporters at the NRM Electoral Commission Headquarters in Kampala, Mr Museveni directly acknowledged the widespread “TovaKuMain” (Don’t Leave the Main Road) mobilisation led by Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo’s Office of the National Chairman (ONC), crediting it for galvanising the party base.
“Millions of Ugandans have been ordering me with the slogan TovaKuMain,” Museveni said. “I am responding to that call to complete the mission we started — lifting Uganda from a raw-material exporter to a high middle-income country.”
In his nearly hour-long speech, Museveni outlined six core focus areas that form the foundation of his next term’s manifesto, among which include; maintaining peace and security, accelerating infrastructure development, wealth creation, expanding employment opportunities, improving social services like education and health, and unlocking regional markets through deeper East African integration.
The 80-year-old President who has been in power since 1986 when he shot to power, reminded Ugandans that under his leadership, the NRM had already moved the economy from $3.9 billion in 1986 to $61 billion today, pushing Uganda out of Least Developed Country status. However, he said more aggressive reforms are needed to reach a $500 billion economy “far ahead of 2040.”
“We have done recovery and diversification. But with maximum value addition to all our raw materials and knowledge-based industries, we can leap into the first world,” Museveni said, citing examples like coffee, which earns Uganda only $2.5 per kilo as raw beans but could fetch $40 per kilo once roasted and packaged.
He also warned the newly elected NRM structures against turning leadership into a career for personal gain. “My advice to you is to be wealth creators so you do not look at leadership as a job. If our generation had a jobist mentality, Uganda would never have been rescued,” he said.
Mr Museveni also used the occasion to reaffirm his longstanding ideological pillars: patriotism, Pan-Africanism, socio-economic transformation, and democracy. He challenged the youth to anchor their leadership on principle rather than personal ambition.
“Political leadership is about serving your people and defending their interests against corruption, fraud, criminality, and land evictions,” he emphasised.
Reacting to the President’s direct acknowledgment of TovaKuMain, the Senior Presidential Advisor and National Coordinator Bazzukulu at the Office of the National Chairman (ONC), Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye, expressed gratitude and vindication for the months-long grassroots mobilisation that has defined her tenure.
“I am very glad that Jajja [Museveni] has not only heard but has formally embraced the voice of the Bazzukulu who have been clear that he should stay on course and not leave the main line,” Hajjat Namyalo said in an interview after the nomination event.
She also issued a firm message to critics and detractors who have previously mocked or opposed the TovaKuMain drive:
“Those who were busy fighting this call, insulting our mobilisation teams, or trying to mislead Ugandans should be very ashamed today. The President has shown that he listens to the people, not to the noise of selfish opportunists. This victory is for all the Bazzukulu who stood firm.”
Namyalo pledged that the ONC will redouble efforts to consolidate support for Museveni across all regions and ensure the 2026 campaign remains focused on peace, wealth creation, and prosperity for ordinary Ugandans.
“This is not the time for division or sabotage,” she added. “We are going to the villages, the markets, and the youth groups to explain this vision, because TovaKuMain is bigger than individuals, it is about protecting Uganda’s gains.”
The President’s nomination as both the National Chairman and Presidential Flag bearer was fronted by the 1st National Vice Chairman, Alhajj Moses Kigongo and Hon Tom Butime of the NRA historicals, respectively.
Saturday’s nomination event was witnessed by the First Lady, Maama Janet Museveni, Speaker of Parliament Rt Hon. Anita Among, Prime Minister Rt Hon. Robinah Babanja, NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong, NRM CEC Members, senior NRM leaders, and regional mobilisers from across the country.
Museveni, who is now NRM flag bearer, is expected to get fully nominated by the Uganda Electoral Commission in September this year when nominations for the 2026 Presidential elections are held.
