RUKUNGIRI, UGANDA – National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearers in Rukungiri District have expressed deep-seated fears that they risk losing in the 2026 general elections due to a crippling lack of facilitation for grassroots mobilization.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The urgent appeal was made by the NRM Party aspiring party councillors and chairpersons during a meeting organized by Senior Presidential Advisor Peace Rugambwa at Palm Real Hotel in Western Division.
Salary Beineomugisha, the NRM flag bearer for Buyanja Sub-county, set the tone, stating that the lack of facilitation has severely hampered their mobilization efforts.
Ireen Tumusiime Rwaboona, the District Female Councillor for Nyarushanje, and George Ruraka, the District Flag Bearer for the elderly, echoed the concern, appealing directly to the party leadership to provide the necessary resources.
Councillor Albert Rwamugata of Buyanja Sub-county reinforced the call for the NRM Secretariat to intervene and provide facilitation to ensure effective grassroots mobilization.
Beyond financial constraints, leaders pointed to deep internal divisions as a critical threat to the party’s electoral chances.
Nyakishenyi Sub-county Chairperson, Twinomujuni Wednesday, confirmed that severe divisions and factionalism within the Rukungiri NRM’s top leadership threaten to cost the party its seats, effectively handing them over to opposition candidates.
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Meanwhile, Nyarushanje Sub-county Councillor Ananias Turyashemerwa Jegere highlighted a critical disparity, noting that NRM flag bearers lack operational funds while their opposition counterparts are actively resourcing their campaigns.
He urged the NRM Secretariat to intervene, calling it the only way to ensure effective mobilization for the party and President Museveni.
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The meeting chair, Peace Rugambwa, issued a stern warning against the unauthorized use of NRM campaign materials by independent and opposition figures, stating the practice fuels internal conflict.
She further expressed concern that such internal discord undermines the party’s effectiveness, weakening its capacity to lobby for district development, and concluded with a call for unity among all flag bearers to ensure successful mobilization.
The urgent concerns raised in Rukungiri District point to an NRM party at a crossroads, with under-resourced flag bearers and internal rifts threatening its 2026 electoral prospects.
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