President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged National Resistance Movement (NRM) Members of Parliament who lost in the recent party primaries not to contest as independents in the forthcoming elections.
“Where there are NRM and opposition candidates, I wouldn’t advise you to stand as independents, because if things go wrong, you will be the one to blame,” the President said. “Even where only NRM candidates are in the race, I still prefer that you use the law rather than confuse our people.”
President Museveni made the remarks on Tuesday during a meeting with NRM Members of Parliament and Independent MPs who have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the NRM, held at State Lodge Arua. He was accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Museveni.
The meeting was attended by MPs who participated in the NRM primaries but lost, some of whom have since declared their intention to run as independents, while others chose to stay out of the race.
Several MPs expressed grievances during the meeting, alleging that the primaries were marred by irregularities and that some results had been altered in favour of their competitors.
In response, President Museveni acknowledged that some candidates were indeed provoked by selfish individuals but emphasised that the most important issue is how they respond to such provocation.
“In this case, if you are angry and decide to stand as an independent while another NRM flagbearer is also in the race, you risk splitting the vote and handing victory to the opposition. How will you forgive yourself then?” he asked.
The President reminded the MPs that in the previous election, the NRM lost over 21 parliamentary seats in Buganda because votes were divided between party flagbearers and independents. “So you must be very careful,” he cautioned. “You should ask yourself, should I be part of dividing the NRM? For me, I wouldn’t.”
He explained that where a race involves two NRM candidates and one opposition contender, it poses a serious risk to the party’s success. “Now, if it’s a race with only NRM candidates, I cannot, as the party Chairman, tell you to go and fight it out. I can only keep quiet and watch. But when the time comes, I will hand the flag to the NRM flagbearer,” he added.
President Museveni advised any aggrieved aspirants who believe they were cheated during the primaries to pursue legal redress if they have evidence.
“If there was an electoral offence and you have proof, bring me the facts. If results were altered, we can take criminal action against those involved. There’s a legal process for that, and crime has no time limit — even after a year, those responsible can still be prosecuted,” he said.
However, he cautioned that candidates who lack evidence because their agents were compromised need to strengthen their grassroots organisation. “This issue of using mercenaries as your agents is dangerous. You should work with people who are committed to your vision and understand your area,” he advised.
The President also warned against joining politics while financially unstable or taking on heavy debts for campaigns.
“You shouldn’t enter politics when you are poor,” he said. “Government can inject more money into the parliamentary SACCOs. Take a soft loan, build yourself economically, and when you are stable, you can return to politics. If you have about Shs400 million, invest only about 40% of it in politics — not all.”
He stressed that avoiding debt-driven politics would help build a more stable and self-reliant leadership in Uganda.
The meeting was also attended by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa, several Ministers, and members of the NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC).