Published on 31/07/2025
A group of youthful aspirants seeking top positions on the ruling National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) Central Executive Committee (CEC) have expressed strong disapproval of the current vetting process, which they claim is being overseen by the very incumbents they are challenging. The aspirants argue that this process is “unfair and undemocratic,” especially as the party prepares for its National Delegates Conference scheduled for August 27–28, 2025.
During a joint press briefing in Kampala on Thursday, July 31, the aspirants—including Hakim Kyeswa (vying for National Vice Chairperson, Central), Buyela Christopher (aspiring Vice Chairperson, Eastern), Kyanika Rehema (running for National Chairperson, Women’s League), and Sadat Sserugo Nsiegumire (seeking Vice Chairperson, Kampala)—accused the current CEC leadership of sidelining grassroots delegates and hindering democratic participation by upcoming leaders.
“You cannot vet me when I’m contesting against you,” stated Kyeswa, condemning the current CEC’s involvement in screening their own challengers. “This amounts to political malpractice. We call upon the National Chairman to intervene and halt this sham process.”
Kyeswa, who commands strong support in the central region, also took issue with the agenda for the upcoming Delegates Conference, saying it offers little in terms of meaningful constitutional reform. He emphasized the need for the conference to go beyond symbolism and address critical areas of the party constitution, particularly regarding the qualifications for district and village registrars.
“Since 2014, we have not reviewed our party constitution. Meanwhile, the challenges we face, including chaotic primaries, are rooted in that very constitution. The delegates must have a say in shaping party policy,” he noted.
He further urged for open campaign platforms where aspirants and incumbents can face off before the electorate. “Let me stand next to Kiwanda and ask him what he has done for the party. How does a man who failed as an MP qualify to mobilize for the president?” Kyeswa challenged.
“We paid Shs 5 million for nominations, why are we not being facilitated to speak directly to the electorate?” he added.
Buyela Christopher, running for the Eastern region CEC slot, criticized what he termed a widening gap between the incumbent, Mike Mukula, and the constituents. “Where is Mike Mukula’s office in the East? Our people don’t even know lifts, yet their supposed leader operates from the 11th floor in Kampala,” he said.
He pointed to decades of ineffective representation, noting that power and opportunity remain concentrated in the capital. “The cake is shared in Kampala, not in the villages,” he remarked.
Buyela went on to claim that some current CEC members are more focused on preserving their business interests than serving the party or public. He warned that continued failure to address these issues could result in independents and opposition candidates gaining ground in 2026.
“Ask yourself why 95% of civil servants don’t subscribe to NRM ideology. Because CEC has failed to push the Kyankwanzi ideological grounding. They only emerge during elections to manipulate outcomes,” he added.
Kyanika Rehema voiced concern over what she described as growing marginalization of women within the NRM’s structures. Despite constitutional guarantees of at least 30% inclusion in programs like the Parish Development Model (PDM), she said many women at the grassroots remain excluded.
“Women at the grassroots are crying, disappointed, and disillusioned. The Women’s League has gone dormant while a few elite women feast at the top,” said Rehema, who also serves as the ONC Regional Coordinator for Busoga.
She pledged to revitalize the Women’s League and push for the revival of cooperative and commercial banks to empower women economically.
“I want to be a voice for the voiceless. I am because you are, and you are because I am,” she said. “This is not just a campaign, it is a movement for real, inclusive leadership.”
The four aspirants jointly criticized efforts by the incumbent CEC to dissuade delegates from interacting with new contenders, warning that top-down leadership imposition without open debate could destabilize the party.
While reiterating their unwavering loyalty to President Yoweri Museveni as the party’s chairman, the candidates emphasized that reforms are necessary if the NRM is to maintain relevance and legitimacy ahead of the 2026 elections.
