The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has opened its high-level orientation retreat for Members of Parliament-elect at the National Leadership Institute Kyankwanzi, with Generals Muhoozi Kainerugaba and Salim Saleh headlining a programme designed to shape the ideological and policy direction of the party’s next legislative cohort.
The week-long retreat has drawn more than 370 NRM legislators preparing to enter the 12th Parliament, in what party officials describe as a critical induction to align members with the government’s 2026–2031 agenda.
Gen. Muhoozi, who serves as Chief of Defence Forces and Presidential Advisor on Special Operations, is expected to deliver one of the most closely watched sessions, focusing on the historical mission of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces and Uganda’s strategic interests within Africa.
His scheduled lecture has already sparked discussion within party ranks, with some MPs noting it could mark the first time a sitting CDF formally addresses the NRM parliamentary caucus.
Gen. Saleh, the National Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation, will later take the stage with a detailed exposition on what he terms the “Political Economy of Musevenomics.”
His presentation is expected to press legislators to take a more activist stance in driving socio-economic transformation, particularly through infrastructure-led growth as Uganda targets a transition to higher middle-income status.
The retreat comes just weeks before the official swearing-in of MPs on May 13 and is structured around intensive sessions covering mindset change, party discipline enforced through the whipping system, implementation of the Parish Development Model, and personal financial management.
Also lined up to address the legislators is the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, alongside key economic figures including Ramathan Ggoobi and Augustine Nuwagaba, who are expected to guide MPs on governance frameworks and macroeconomic policy direction.
Beyond the formal programme, political undertones are already surfacing. The absence of Norbert Mao from the speakers’ lineup has drawn quiet attention among delegates, fuelling speculation about internal dynamics and his perceived ambitions around the Speakership.
As proceedings continue in Kyankwanzi, the retreat is once again positioning itself as a decisive forum for consolidating party cohesion, sharpening ideological clarity, and preparing the NRM to steer the legislative agenda in the next parliamentary term.
