Museveni Post-Election Audit; Highlights NRM Achievements, Blames ‘Careerist Leaders’ for Uganda’s Setbacks

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has issued a detailed statement reflecting on the just-concluded general elections, defending the historical record of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and attributing Uganda’s political fragmentation to the failure to fully implement pro-people policies and persistent electoral malpractice.

In the message posted on his social media pages,” Museveni congratulated citizens upon the conclusion of the Presidential, Parliamentary, Local Government and LC1 elections. He revealed that during the campaign season, he addressed 143 rallies across 153 districts, describing the atmosphere as “celebratory and consultative,” with participation from all age groups.

Drawing comparisons with the 1996 elections, Museveni said the majority of Ugandans at the time rejected calls for political change, embracing what he described as the NRM’s stabilizing agenda. He argued that early opposition politics were largely rooted in sectarianism and identity-based mobilization, which he said had previously fueled division and violence in regions such as Buganda, Ankole and Kigezi.

The President credited the NRM/NRA with restoring national unity through its doctrine of “Okukyenura” — removing societal bottlenecks (“emikyeno”) that hinder progress. Among the key achievements he listed were ending extra-judicial killings by building a disciplined army, curbing sectarian politics, restoring electoral credibility through open lining behind candidates in the early years, revitalizing the economy through privatization, rehabilitating major infrastructure, defeating insurgent groups such as the ADF and Lakwena rebels, and launching the Universal Immunization Programme in 1987.

Museveni said these interventions reassured citizens and fostered national cohesion, particularly after years of instability under previous regimes.

However, he acknowledged that new challenges began to emerge in the late 1990s, including persistent poverty, high education costs, corruption, land grabbing and injustices in the courts. To address these, he introduced initiatives such as Entandikwa (interest-free capital at sub-county level), Universal Primary Education (UPE), and constitutional land reforms under the 1995 Constitution and the Land Act of 1998.

The President expressed regret that some of these mass-oriented programs were not fully supervised or effectively implemented. He blamed what he described as “careerist leaders” for prioritizing personal benefits over service delivery, arguing that this failure contributed to increasing political divisions witnessed in subsequent elections, particularly in 2001, 2006, 2016 and 2021.

Museveni also revisited the electricity crisis of the mid-2000s, attributing power shortages to parliamentary resistance at the time, which he claimed blocked a favorable energy deal to develop the Bujagali power project at a competitive tariff.

On electoral integrity, the President criticized the reintroduction of the secret ballot in the 1990s, saying that it reopened avenues for ballot stuffing, multiple voting and result manipulation. He claimed that in 2010–2011, individuals linked to the Electoral Commission admitted to orchestrating fraud and even offered to rig votes in favor of the NRM — an offer he says he rejected.

Regarding the 2021 elections, Museveni cited the COVID-19 pandemic and alleged electoral cheating by the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) as key challenges during the poll period.

Despite acknowledging governance shortcomings, Museveni maintained that the NRM remains anchored in patriotism, Pan-Africanism, socio-economic transformation and democracy. He emphasized that Uganda’s long-term stability and development depend on disciplined implementation of pro-people policies rather than divisive identity politics.

The statement indicates that the President intends to continue defending the NRM’s historical narrative while addressing governance gaps he believes have undermined its mass-oriented agenda.

BELOW IS THE FULL STATEMENT