President Museveni has defended the National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) strong showing in the recently concluded elections, citing long-term development programs and government achievements while accusing opposition parties of systemic electoral cheating.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the President hailed the nearly concluded elections—including presidential, parliamentary, local government, and LC1 polls—and described the campaign atmosphere as “celebratory and consultative, with whole community turn-ups—the elderly, the youth and the children.”
“The pro-People record of the NRM in Uganda does not allow a credible, truthful opposition to thrive,” Museveni said, referencing both historical reforms and ongoing government programs as evidence of the party’s popularity.
Museveni recalled past electoral reforms, including the introduction of open-line voting in the 1990s, which he said eliminated widespread ballot stuffing, multiple voting, and under-age participation.
“Ever since the introduction of the secret ballot… ballot cheating had started again,” he said, adding that the NRM had taken steps to prevent irregularities in the 2011 and 2021 elections.
The President specifically accused the National Unity Platform (NUP) of manipulating votes in the 2021 polls.
“NUP infiltrated 2.7 million votes in the ballot boxes of Buganda and Busoga,” he said, claiming that opposition efforts had dented NRM performance despite the party’s historical popularity.
Museveni also attributed the NRM’s enduring dominance to a suite of social and economic programs targeting rural and urban communities.
He cited initiatives including Universal Primary Education (UPE), Entandikwa (interest-free capital at sub-county level), the Parish Development Model (PDM), NAADS, Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), the Youth Fund, and Emyooga.
Highlighting progress in key sectors, Museveni said Uganda’s coffee production had risen from 3 million bags in 1986 to 9 million, milk output from 200 million litres to 5.3 billion litres, and cattle numbers from 3 million to 16 million.
Maize production grew from 500,000 tonnes to 5 million, bananas from 6 million to 12 million tonnes, cassava from 1.9 million to 5 million tonnes, and eggs reached 49.6 million trays.
Despite these gains, the President acknowledged that about 39 percent of Ugandan households remain in subsistence-level livelihoods.
“Abakolera ekidda kyoonka—those who work only for the stomach—still constitute 39 percent of homesteads,” he said, emphasizing the government’s ongoing focus on poverty reduction.
Museveni framed these achievements as central to NRM’s electoral success.
“If all the NRM turned up to vote, our vote would be 18.5 million and the opposition would remain with 2.5 million,” he claimed, highlighting the party’s membership figures against the total number of registered voters.
Security issues also featured in the President’s statement. He cited opposition-linked violence during past elections, including machete attacks in Masaka in 2021, and warned that schemes involving “criminal foreigners” would be countered.
“The NRM cadres should be close with the people, honest with them and encourage them to ignore the schemes of the criminal opposition but also be ready to crush any scheme of the traitors,” Museveni said.
The President concluded his statement by reflecting on his personal experience campaigning across Uganda, from Luweero in September 2025 to Kololo in January 2026, emphasizing the engagement of ordinary citizens in his rallies and urging voters to act fairly and abandon bad behavior toward all parties.
