By Aggrey Baba
With the National Resistance Movement (NRM) already mapping out its road to 2031, Uganda’s opposition finds itself grappling with a string of political setbacks, from its leading figures living in exile or behind bars to internal divisions and a cooperation arrangement that has put one of its veteran leaders in Cabinet.
Accirding to NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong, the party is already preparing for another electoral battle, with a membership register overhaul, party primaries and structural elections lined up before 2031.
The opposition, meanwhile, faces a difficult political landscape. NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi is in exile, while PFF’s Dr Kizza Besigye and and party president Erias Lukwago remain in prison and the party’s secretary general, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, is also in exile.
DP president Norbert Mao is serving as Museveni’s Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs under the cooperation agreement between DP and NRM, an arrangement that has for years fuelled debate about the independence of Uganda’s oldest opposition party.
FDC, which has been weakened by internal divisions and the emergence of PFF, is also rebuilding after losing substantial parliamentary representation in the 2026 elections. Although the party has announced plans for grassroots mobilization and opposition dialogue, its split remains a major challenge.
It is against this backdrop that Todwong says the NRM is already organizing for 2031 instead of waiting for the next election year.
In a recent interview with one of Uganda’s leading publications (as published in the Weekend Vision), he revealed that the party intends to update and digitise its membership register, harmonizing the data with records held by the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) and the Electoral Commission (EC).
The exercise is awaiting approval by the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) and is expected to begin with data collection across the country.
Todwong also said the NRM would conduct structural elections and party primaries, with these activities expected to dominate the fourth year of the current term.
The party is further planning to construct more offices in the countryside and embark on building a new national headquarters at Plot 10 in Kyadondo.
The NRM leadership also intends to evaluate implementation of its manifesto, including the Parish Development Model (PDM) and other government programmes, before the next electoral contest.
Todwong said the party had discussed these plans during a recent retreat at Kigambira Safari Lodge in Lake Mburo National Park, where NRM leaders assessed the party’s strengths, weaknesses, staffing needs and outreach programmes.
He added that the NRM had recommitted itself to fighting corruption and misuse of public resources while improving government performance.
With the ruling party already setting out its organizational timetable, opposition parties face the task of resolving their internal difficulties, strengthening their grassroots networks and preparing their own candidates before the next election cycle gathers momentum.
Todwong said the NRM was already looking towards 2031 and planning how to secure victory. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
