The National Resistance Movement (NRM) on Sunday formally received hundreds of former National Unity Platform (NUP) supporters at a colorful ceremony held at the party’s Electoral Commission headquarters on Plot 10 Kyaddondo Road in Kampala.
Presiding over the event, NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong described the defectors’ decision as a “return home” and pledged to integrate them fully into the ruling party’s structures.
“The strength of our party lies in unity and teamwork,” Todwong told the cheering crowd. “There are two types of politics. The bad politics teaches you how to hate, how to fight, how to look at yourself as a failed person. But the good politics that we in NRM practice is the politics that helps us work together, be together as a team.”
He assured the recruits that the party would support their innovative ideas, nurture their talents, and help them grow their enterprises.
He further invited them to participate in upcoming NRM activities, including the nomination of President Yoweri Museveni on Tuesday.
“On that day, I will present you officially to the president. Then on Wednesday, I want to sit down with your leaders and plan how to support you,” he announced.
In a symbolic gesture, the defectors exchanged their red and white NUP shirts for the NRM’s signature yellow, as chants of support filled the air.
Deputy Secretary General Rose Namayanja-Nsereko, who herself crossed from the opposition years ago, urged the newcomers to embrace the ruling party’s mission.
“I am one of the founders of Uganda Young Democrats (UYD). But I left it and joined the mighty NRM party. Welcome to the winning party and supporting President Museveni, the tried and tested leader in Uganda,” she said.
NRM National Treasurer Barbara Oundo Nekesa emphasized that the party’s focus remained on socio-economic transformation, grounded in patriotism, pan-Africanism, democracy, and economic empowerment.
Mobilisation Director Rosemary Seninde echoed the call for unity, presenting Museveni as the candidate to continue Uganda’s development journey.
The defections mark another wave of mobilization as the NRM prepares for the 2026 elections, with its leaders pushing a message of reconciliation, youth empowerment, and “good politics” as the foundation of sustained national progress.
