Presidential aspirant for the Common Man’s Party, Mubarak Munyagwa, has urged opposition parties to strengthen their presence in rural communities if they are to effectively challenge the National Resistance Movement (NRM) in the 2026 elections.
Munyagwa said the ruling party has maintained its grip on power for four decades by building strong support in villages and aligning itself with key state institutions.
“NRM has held power for 40 years. It functions as an enterprise fused with the police, judicial service, and a cocktail of other interests. While NRM has strong support in villages, the opposition needs to go deeper into rural areas to win,” he said.
He also criticised the internal processes of the National Unity Platform (NUP), saying many aspirants have chosen to contest as independents after losing trust in the party’s primaries.
“Unfortunately, the NUP process is not free and fair, which is why many MPs choose to run as independents,” he said.
Munyagwa stressed that democracy is a game of numbers and warned that mediocrity within the opposition is undermining its progress.
As Uganda edges closer to the 2026 general elections, debates on opposition strategy and internal party democracy continue to shape the political conversation.
