Fresh tension has erupted at the headquarters of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) in Kampala as youthful members threaten to protest prepare to protest what they describe as a calculated move by the party’s Electoral Commission (EC) to block them from contesting for positions on the Central Executive Committee (CEC), the party’s topmost organ.
The accusations emerged Wednesday, June 25, at the NRM Electoral Commission headquarters on Plot 13, Kyadondo Road in Kampala, where several youthful CEC aspirants voiced outrage over what they described as a systematic effort to sideline them using unofficial age limits.
“We’re being told to stick to youth leagues and ghetto structures, yet the law allows any Ugandan above 18 to contest. This is betrayal,” said one of the youth aspirants, who demanded anonymity for fear of reprisal.
Some Electoral Commission staff, according to the disgruntled cadres, have reportedly advised youthful contenders to abandon their CEC ambitions, arguing the top organ is reserved for “mature and established individuals.” No such requirement exists in the NRM constitution, sparking protests across youth mobilization structures countrywide.
An NRM mobilizer from Eastern Uganda said the Commission risks losing legitimacy if it enforces backdoor disqualifications. “These are the same youth who kept NRM alive through ghetto campaigns and patriotism clubs. Now, when they ask for leadership space, they are told to sit down. It’s hypocrisy,” he said.
The controversy has also revived anger over a recent disqualification in Bukedea, where a candidate was reportedly blocked from contesting over a lack of a permanent home. Critics say this reveals the party’s drift toward exclusion and political gatekeeping, especially by wealthy or connected elites seeking to shield themselves from rising grassroots challengers.
“There is panic. The youth have numbers and ideas, but those clinging to CEC seats fear accountability. Many of them are tainted by scandals – CHOGM, iron sheets, cooperatives, you name it. If anyone should step aside, it’s them,” argued one youth leader from the central region.
Some leaked internal messages, allegedly from within the party Secretariat, appear to suggest that “only experienced and mature cadres” should vie for CEC, further inflaming tensions. This has prompted renewed calls for intervention by President Yoweri Museveni, the party’s National Chairman.
“The President joined the struggle as a youth. Many current leaders did too. What has changed? The youth built this party. Blocking us now would be a political mistake,” warned a youth mobilization caucus planning peaceful demonstrations this week.
The NRM Electoral Commission, led by Dr. Tanga Odoi, has not formally responded to the allegations. However, party sources suggest senior figures are monitoring the situation closely ahead of the July 16 primaries and the July 22–26 Delegates Conference.
As of June 24, the party had received 1,910 nominations for various positions. But the battle for space in the CEC appears to be exposing deeper cracks within NRM over generational leadership and party identity.
