As Uganda braces itself for the forthcoming general elections, political engines across the country are roaring to life. Parties are recalibrating, strategizing, and mobilizing to capture the attention and confidence of the electorate. Among these, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) has taken an early lead, launching its structural build-up from the grassroots through internal elections starting at the village level. Despite isolated challenges in areas such as Luuka, Mayuge, and Sembabule, the process has largely been a resounding success. This proactive and structured approach underscores the NRM’s political maturity and positions it squarely in the driver’s seat, far ahead of its rivals.
In stark contrast stands the National Unity Platform (NUP), led by Mr. Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, a man who has turned political theater into a personality cult. While the NRM is engaged in intelligent strategy and genuine party consolidation, NUP is entangled in a web of internal wrangles and public fallouts. Key figures like Mr. Mathias Mpuuga, Hon. Joyce Bagala, Hon. Bashir Kazibwe, and others are currently embroiled in disputes that have exposed the party’s fragile ideological foundation and shaky unity. Instead of building a solid alternative government, NUP has become a sanctuary for political nomads and defectors, a collection of individuals whose only common thread is bitterness and failure in previous political ventures.
To compound the irony, Mr. Kyagulanyi has become a quasi-spiritual political figure—revered not for ideological substance or administrative record but for mere visibility and celebrity appeal. Political failures, opportunists, and ideological wanderers flock to his residence in Magere or his office in Kavule not for strategic alignment but to take pictures, post them online, and claim association. This mimicry of politics only mocks the sacrifices of genuine leaders. It is said, “When the drumbeat changes, the dance must change also,” but NUP continues to dance to the rhythm of confusion and contradiction.
In regions like Busoga, this trend has become glaring. Figures such as Mr. Anyole, Jinja City Mayor Sir Alton Kasolo, Hon. David Agha, and Hon. Timothy Batuwa are among those seen scrambling for Kyagulanyi’s so-called political “anointing oil”—locally termed amafuta. Even politicians like Hon. Waira Majegere and Hon. Kaluya, who faltered in the NRM due to their own weaknesses, have now joined this desperate pilgrimage. What is most puzzling is how NUP continues to embrace these defectors with open arms, as if political failure were a badge of honor.
They previously welcomed the likes of Hon. Abed Bwanika, whose ideological inconsistencies became a liability. Have they learned nothing and forgotten everything?
Meanwhile, the NRM is diligently focused on generational transformation and ideological sustainability. The party is injecting fresh blood into its leadership and investing in ideological grounding through well-structured programs and mobilization drives. Its commitment to Pan-Africanism, Patriotism, Socio-economic Transformation, and Democracy is not mere rhetoric but a demonstrated path to national stability and development. As the party of liberation, NRM understands that leadership is not about showmanship, but statesmanship. In the words of the late Kwame Nkrumah, “Those who would judge us merely by the heights we have achieved would do well to remember the depths from which we started.”
Across Africa, we have seen the consequences of personality-centered politics. In Zambia, the collapse of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) was accelerated by internal divisions and the cult of personality. In Kenya, poorly managed coalitions led to instability and betrayal among opposition figures. Uganda must not walk that same path. Our politics must be built on institutions, not individuals; on substance, not spectacle.
The NRM offers this vision. It remains the party with a coherent philosophy, a tested leadership, and a legacy of transforming Uganda from the ashes of civil strife to the beacon of regional stability. It has empowered communities through programs like the Parish Development Model and Emyooga, and it continues to skill the youth and empower women—not just to win votes, but to build a nation.
To my fellow Ugandans: beware of those who wear borrowed garments and claim the throne. Do not be swayed by political masqueraders who come with empty slogans and recycled failures. As the African proverb goes, “A bird that flies off the earth and lands on an anthill is still on the ground.” NUP may claim elevation, but its foundation is still rooted in disarray.
Let us rally behind NRM, a party of vision, history, and continuity. Let us embrace leadership that builds, not divides; leadership that mobilizes ideas, not idolatry.
In the final analysis, Uganda deserves leaders, not celebrities; substance, not sentiment. And NRM remains the only party walking that dignified path.
For God and my Country.
The Author is an NRM Mobilizer, PRO Jinja City Social Media Team and NRM Publicity secretary elect Church Cell Walukuba – East
Phillip R. Ongadia
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