President Museveni and his National Resistance Movement (NRM) never take anything for granted. This tenacity has fueled Museveni’s success where many before and during his time have faltered. After a disappointing performance in Buganda during the last elections, the President has launched several initiatives to reclaim the region’s support. Challenges persist, but ideas and goodwill continue to flow. Allow me to add my two cents on how NRM can win back Buganda, Uganda’s most populous and politically pivotal region.
Buganda, home to over 12 million people, has historically backed Museveni, yet recent discontent—driven by human rights concerns, unemployment, perceived disenfranchisement, and land disputes—has shifted loyalty toward the National Unity Platform (NUP). To reverse this, NRM must adopt a strategic, multi-pronged approach focusing on economic empowerment, political inclusion, land reform, cultural engagement, and sharp communication. Below are my targeted solutions.
1. Economic Empowerment and Youth Employment
Unemployment grips Buganda’s youth, both educated and uneducated, fueling resentment. NRM should roll out bold, region-specific economic programs. First, expand vocational training centers in urban and rural Buganda, teaching skills like agribusiness, coding, and entrepreneurship. Partner with Makerere University and private firms to offer internships and job placements. Reviving cooperatives in coffee and horticulture zones, especially in Masaka, Luwero, and Mpigi, can employ rural youth and lift incomes.
Unemployment grips Buganda’s youth, both educated and uneducated, fueling resentment. NRM should roll out bold, region-specific economic programs. First, expand vocational training centers in urban and rural Buganda, teaching skills like agribusiness, coding, and entrepreneurship. Partner with Makerere University and private firms to offer internships and job placements. Reviving cooperatives in coffee and horticulture zones, especially in Masaka, Luwero, and Mpigi, can employ rural youth and lift incomes.
Second, launch microfinance schemes with low-interest loans for young entrepreneurs in Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono, and beyond. Brand these as Buganda-focused, with strict oversight to avoid elite capture. Share success stories on Bukedde TV and CBS Radio to show impact. By tackling the economic quagmire, NRM can dismantle NUP’s narrative of neglect and give youth concrete reasons to back the party.
2. Political Inclusion and Representation
Buganda feels sidelined, a stark contrast to when Baganda leaders shaped Museveni’s government. To fix this, NRM should appoint respected Baganda to high-profile roles—ministries, parastatals, or advisory posts—ensuring they’re competent and community-rooted. Beyond optics, form a Buganda Regional Development Council with elected leaders and technocrats to shape national policy. This would counter the “sideshow” perception.
Buganda feels sidelined, a stark contrast to when Baganda leaders shaped Museveni’s government. To fix this, NRM should appoint respected Baganda to high-profile roles—ministries, parastatals, or advisory posts—ensuring they’re competent and community-rooted. Beyond optics, form a Buganda Regional Development Council with elected leaders and technocrats to shape national policy. This would counter the “sideshow” perception.
At the grassroots, train Baganda cadres to tackle local issues like roads and clinics, reviving the community-uplifting spirit of old. Empowering villages in Mukono, Wakiso, or Luwero rebuilds trust. By prioritizing Buganda’s voice, NRM can blunt NUP’s claims of marginalization.
3. Land Reform and Conflict Resolution
Land disputes, though not exclusive to Buganda, cut deep. Misunderstood laws, family feuds, and lax enforcement feed perceptions of deprivation. NRM should launch a Buganda Land Sensitization Campaign, using Radio Simba and community barazas to explain the Land Act, Marriage Act, and Succession Act. Clarity reduces exploitation by opportunists.
Land disputes, though not exclusive to Buganda, cut deep. Misunderstood laws, family feuds, and lax enforcement feed perceptions of deprivation. NRM should launch a Buganda Land Sensitization Campaign, using Radio Simba and community barazas to explain the Land Act, Marriage Act, and Succession Act. Clarity reduces exploitation by opportunists.
Create mobile land courts in districts like Mpigi and Masaka for swift, transparent case resolution. Partner with the Buganda Land Board to respect cultural norms. Offer subsidies to landowners who farm productively, easing pressures to sell. Publicly punish corrupt officials colluding with land grabbers. These steps will counter deprivation narratives and restore faith in NRM’s governance.
4. Cultural Engagement and Reconciliation
Buganda’s identity revolves around the Kabaka and kingdom institutions. Strained ties with the Buganda Kingdom have cost NRM votes. President Museveni should engage Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi regularly. Fund kingdom projects—schools, clinics—and co-sponsor events like the Buganda Cultural or sports Festivals to show goodwill.
On human rights, investigate election-related abuses in Buganda transparently. Apologize where needed to ease tensions. Aligning with Buganda’s pride and addressing grievances can win back hearts.
5. Strategic Communication
NRM’s messaging in Buganda needs a reboot. Launch a Luganda media blitz—on radio, TV, TikTok, and X—to tout achievements: jobs created, roads paved, schools built. Use data to counter NUP’s spin. Train local influencers to spread authentic messages. Ditch divisive rhetoric for unity and progress.
NRM’s messaging in Buganda needs a reboot. Launch a Luganda media blitz—on radio, TV, TikTok, and X—to tout achievements: jobs created, roads paved, schools built. Use data to counter NUP’s spin. Train local influencers to spread authentic messages. Ditch divisive rhetoric for unity and progress.
Conclusion
Winning Buganda demands pragmatism and heart. Empower youth with jobs, restore political pride, secure land, and honor culture. A relentless, Buganda-centric push—backed by action—can convince the region NRM is its true ally. Museveni’s government, leveraging Buganda’s history and numbers, can turn the tide and secure its future.
Winning Buganda demands pragmatism and heart. Empower youth with jobs, restore political pride, secure land, and honor culture. A relentless, Buganda-centric push—backed by action—can convince the region NRM is its true ally. Museveni’s government, leveraging Buganda’s history and numbers, can turn the tide and secure its future.
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