The delegates assemble for the conference
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has postponed all party elections at the ongoing delegates conference at the Kololo Ceremonial Grounds in Kampala.
Habari Daily has reliably learnt that the party’s electoral body, which announced the postponement cited the hiding of delegates by several contestants, which has thrown the voters into confusion.
“This is to announce that elections of any type have been pushed forward until further notice,” said an official of the NRM Election Commission, who preferred anonymity, since the issue is very sensitive.
The delegates
He said that the party is yet to decide on the next course of action and will inform the country about the decision.
The conference will lead to the election of leaders representing the youth, elderly, workers, and persons with disabilities, among others.
Addressing the delegates earlier on, the party chairman, President Yoweri Museveni, expressed delight at the youthful composition of many of the newly elected delegates, describing it as a healthy sign of generational renewal within the Movement.
“Uphold the principles of patriotism, Pan-Africanism, democracy and socio-economic transformation, while taking the party’s vision deeper into households across Uganda,” he said as he opened the 1st Meeting of the 4th National Conference of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.
The President greets some of the party leaders
He rallied delegates to focus on discipline, fight poverty and corruption, and ensure every Ugandan household joins the money economy.
He recalled the difficult years when Ugandans lacked basic commodities such as sugar, salt, and soap, noting that those days were about mere survival. He explained that Uganda later expanded its economy through cash crops like coffee and tea, diversified into other sectors, and is today producing higher-value products.
Industrialisation takes hold
Museveni pointed to recent milestones such as the manufacture of vehicles through Kiira Motors, the establishment of vaccine production facilities, and the rise of ICT as evidence that Uganda has firmly entered its industrial age.
“We are no longer in recovery; Uganda is in the take-off stage. We are now manufacturing our own cars, producing vaccines, and building an ICT-driven economy,” he said.
Turning to household wealth creation, the President stressed that Uganda’s long-term stability rests on every family joining the money economy. He recalled that in 2013, about 68 percent of the population was still outside the money economy, but recent figures show that 67 percent are now participating. He said the government’s target is to ensure that no family is left behind.
Party Chairman and First Lady are welcomed to the conference
“In the past, towns were only filled with shops, but today we are building towns of factories where people work and earn. That is the NRM difference,” he said.
He said: “What I want you to take from here is simple: fight poverty in your families, fight corruption — don’t allow people to eat Parish Development Model (PDM) money. Insist that the police fight crime, and where they fail, report them.”
On infrastructure, President Museveni revealed that each district receives Shs 1.3 billion annually to maintain murram roads, stressing that the funds must be properly used.
Free education
On education, President Museveni made one of his strongest commitments of the day: ensuring free education in government schools. He argued that since parents overwhelmingly prefer government schools, fees must be abolished to allow every child access to quality education.
“Once the NRM is voted again, we shall insist on free education in all government schools. Support me so we can fully implement it,” he said.
A cross section of the NRM delegates
Richard Todwong, the NRM Secretary General told the delegates that the NRM is a Movement bigger than any individual and that leadership must always be seen as service, not self-enrichment.
Dr. Tanga Odoi, the Chairman of the NRM Electoral Commission, promised to deliver free and fair elections of leaders of special interest groups and the subsequent elections that will follow in the coming days.
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