The National Resistance Movement has officially backed President Yoweri Museveni as their candidate for the 2026–2031 presidential election. This took place during his first campaign rally at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, shortly after he was nominated by the Electoral Commission. Museveni was accompanied by his wife, First Lady Janet Museveni, who is also Uganda’s Minister of Education and Sports.
Alhaji Moses Kigongo, the NRM’s First National Vice Chairperson, handed the party flag to the President, marking the start of his campaign. In his speech, Kigongo urged NRM supporters to stand behind the party’s official candidates and reject those who lost in the primaries but continue to challenge the party’s decisions.
Speaking to a large crowd of cheering supporters, Museveni shared his vision for the next term. He said that his main focus would be bringing the remaining 32% of Ugandans into the money economy. This, he explained, would be the “last mile” in the NRM’s goal of reducing poverty and creating wealth at the household level. Over the past 12 years, the government has reduced the number of people living outside the money economy from 68% to 32%, and now the goal is to bring the last group into economic activities.
To help achieve this, Museveni introduced new funding plans. These include a special fund to support unemployed graduates, financial assistance for cultural and religious leaders to start income-generating projects, and a 15 million shilling allocation to Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs) at each parish. The President also promised continued support for the Parish Development Model (PDM) and the creation of a new fund for fishing communities.
“These efforts are meant to ensure that no one is left behind as Uganda continues to grow,” Museveni emphasized.
Looking ahead, the President warned against inexperienced politicians who, in his view, could harm Uganda’s progress. He encouraged party members who were unhappy with primary election results to use the party’s internal processes to resolve their issues rather than running as independents. “NRM voters will not support independents,” he stressed.
NRM leaders, including Second National Vice Chairperson Anita Among and former Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, also expressed their full support for Museveni’s candidacy. Rugunda praised the President for his leadership and for bringing stability to Uganda after years of conflict.
