Political analyst and former intelligence operative Charles Rwomushana has cast doubt on the opposition’s ability to mount a credible national challenge to President Yoweri Museveni’s rule, citing what he described as their weak presence and poor candidate positioning in strategic constituencies.
Appearing on NBS Television’s Barometer talk show on Tuesday, Rwomushana argued that the opposition cannot claim to have a national outlook when they fail to field strong contenders against ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) heavyweights in western Uganda.
“The opposition parties can’t claim to have a national outlook when they have no candidates to challenge people like Thomas Tayebwa in key western hotspots,” Rwomushana said.
He added that effecting meaningful political change—particularly constitutional reform—requires substantial control of Parliament, which the opposition currently lacks.
“In order to drive serious political change and alter the Constitution, you need to have at least two-thirds of MPs. But if you don’t have the capacity to unseat Anita Among in Bukedea, how do you expect to defeat Museveni?” he remarked.
Rwomushana further observed that in many constituencies, political competition has become largely internal within the ruling NRM, where independent candidates with ties to the party often face off against official flag bearers.
According to him, this dynamic reveals that the opposition’s challenge remains largely symbolic rather than structural.
“In most parts of Uganda, it’s NRM against NRM,” he said, suggesting that the presidential race may already be settled long before polling day.
