Museveni Warns NRM Primary Losers Against Running as Independents

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has advised Members of Parliament from the National Resistance Movement (NRM) who lost in the recent party primaries not to contest as independents in the forthcoming general elections.

“Where there are NRM and opposition candidates, I wouldn’t advise you to come as an independent, because if you do and things go wrong, you will be the one to blame. Where there are only NRMs in the race, even there I would prefer you use the law so that you don’t confuse our people,” the President said.

He made the remarks on Monday during a meeting with NRM MPs and Independent legislators who had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the NRM, held at State Lodge, Arua. The President 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 party primaries but lost. While some declared intentions to run as independents, others chose to stay out of the forthcoming elections.

During the engagement, some MPs alleged that they were cheated during the primaries, claiming that their opponents manipulated results and were irregularly declared winners.

President Museveni acknowledged their frustrations but cautioned them against reacting impulsively.

“In this case, if you are annoyed and stand as an independent, and then the other flag bearer is there, what if you divide the vote and the opposition takes the constituency? How will you forgive yourself?” he asked.

He reminded them that in the previous general election, the NRM lost over 21 parliamentary seats in Buganda due to vote splitting between party flag bearers and independents.

“So this is where you need to be very careful. You should ask yourself, should I be involved in dividing the NRM? For me, I wouldn’t do that,” he said.

The President emphasized that while internal competition among NRM candidates may occur, the party flag bearer remains the official choice.

“If there are three of you—two NRMs and one opposition—it becomes a big problem. Now, where there are only NRMs, I can’t sit here as Chairman and say you go and fight it out. I will remain silent, but when I come, I will hand the flag to the NRM flag bearer,” he stated.

President Museveni further urged aggrieved candidates to seek legal redress if they have evidence of malpractice.

“If it was an electoral offense, bring me the facts. If they altered results, we can act criminally against those involved, and they can end up in prison. There’s a legal way to handle it, and crime has no time limit,” he said.

He also cautioned against relying on uncommitted or mercenary agents during campaigns, noting that their compromise often undermines a candidate’s success.

“In case you don’t have proof because your agents were compromised, it means there’s some political work you need to do. I advise you to give yourself time and build a reliable team that believes in your vision,” he added.

On a different note, the President advised politicians not to enter politics when financially unstable or to incur debts in pursuit of political office.

“You shouldn’t join politics when you are poor. The government can inject more money into the parliamentary SACCOs so that you take soft loans, build yourself economically, and then come back when you are financially stable. If you have Shs400 million, inject only about 40 percent of it into politics, not all,” he advised.

“You shouldn’t go into debt because of politics. That way, we can build a more stable leadership in this country.”

The meeting was also attended by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa, several Ministers, and NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC) members.