President Yoweri Museveni has spoken out on the recently concluded NRM primaries for MPs. In his reaction to concerns raised from the chaotic elections so far, Museveni wondered why the wananchi allow politicians to bribe them, and to cheat.
He threatened to prosecute corrupt registrars who engaged in altering results as reports of party officials engaged in cheating for their preferred candidates threaten cohesion.
Museveni also condemned chaos in the NRM primaries, adding that the responsible state agencies should take action against offences committed during the elections.
The ruling party leader and Uganda’s ruler of four decades also saluted members for engaging in the NRM primaries.
He appeared comfortable that half the registered members had engaged in the primaries.
Here is Museveni’s full reaction to the primaries:
The NRM members, especially the Bazzukulu.
Greetings and Congratulations on the NRM Primaries that were carried out on the 17th of July, 2025. On that day, one of our sources has now told me that 9.22million members of our Party participated in the Primaries supporting the different candidates.
This is about 50% of our total membership of 18.5 million confirmed on the 6th of May, 2025 when I also went back to Rwakyitura to check on the NRM membership in our village.
In Rwakyitura village, which has just been cut out of the bigger Nshwerenkye village, we confirmed 251 members from the original list of 350.
One of the People we edited out of the list was Maama Janet who has been voting from Ireenga in Ntungamo ever since she decided to be politically active in our birth area of Ntungamo in the year 2005.
Therefore, 9.22 million members of our Party turning up on the 17th of July, 2025, for the NRM Primaries, on a working day and mid-week, is not bad. Congratulations. However, I must condemn, in the strongest terms, what I started hearing in some areas where some unpatriotic actors are alleged to have committed the following mistakes:
- Altering results;
- Tampering with the registers;
- Using violence, including causing some deaths, apart from the injuries caused;
- And the use of money and materials to bribe voters.
These are politically and ideologically wrong end must be condemned by all the lovers of the NRM and Uganda. All our members need to know that the leaders we elect are in order to download Government programmes to kukyenuura (solve the solvable problems) of the Wanainchi. Omukyeno, is a problem that could be solved if the necessary actions were taken.
If my hair is not combed because I lack eshokozo (a comb), then I have omukyeno of eshokozo.
If, however, I have a bald head like is the case with your Oldman, then that is no longer omukyeno, it is obuhaangwa (the way one was created by God).
The purpose of electing leaders, is to rationally choose leaders and a Party that can kukyenuura (solve) our mikyeno (solvable problems).
Why should, then, the Wanainchi tolerate the one who deflects them from this by being violent, cheating, etc. With more political maturity, such People, will be rejected.
Where the NRM programmes are well implemented, the kukyenuura, takes place. You want examples? Here below they are:
1) Security of person and property (part of the 10 points programme);
2) Immunization has eliminated polio, measles, etc;
3) Liberalization of the economy attracted so many investors that quickly helped us to end ebura (shortages) of the so called essential commodities (Sugar, salt, soap, paraffin, beers, sodas, textiles, forex);
4) Shortage of public transport in the form of buses, taxis, not to talk of boda bodas, was ended;
5) Ugandans living abroad as refugees was ended by the policy of reconciliation- Uganda’s 500,000 people were refugees in Congo and South Sudan by 1986;
6) People listening to the NRM message of Wealth creation getting out of poverty such as the People in the cattle corridor, Masaka with coffee, Kalangala with Palm oil, Bundibugyo with Palm oil and coffee, individuals like Nyakaana and Joseph Ijala, etc;
7) The families that have started receiving the PDM have got very strong testimonies; etc.
All these are Government (the NRM) programmes that kukyenuura People (solving their problems) when they are properly down-loaded.
The leaders and the Party that we need to support are the ones that do precisely this.
Why, then, do you tolerate and be used by the unpatriotic elements that pollute our beautiful process of democracy with violence, bribery, cheating, etc.? It is so annoying. However, the good thing is that the mistakes they are committing, are also crimes by the law of the State of Uganda which renders them prosecutable.
We are, therefore, going to prosecute these mistake-makers. The easiest to start with, are those who altered results. Why? It is because the voting took place by lining behind candidates or their portraits during the day as and, therefore, each village knows who and how many voted for this one or that one.
If, therefore, you altered the results, we are coming for you.
It is not only the registrar that knows the results village by village.
The next to deal with, are those who caused violence. That criminality must have been witnessed by many People. We shall go for the wrong-doer.
Where soldiers and Policemen are involved, you need to answer the question: “Was it the soldier’s mistake or were some goons trying to disarm the security personnel as was being planned by the bankrupt leaders last year, July, when riots here were supposed to coincide with those of Kenya?”
The issue of the registers needs more scrutiny. It is true, that we all edited the NRM village registers on the 6″ of May, 2025, when I also went to my Rwakyitura village as already said.
However, it is also true that I heard of some bloated villages later. We shall get to the bottom of it.
In spite of those pollutants to our beautiful and massive democratic process, in many areas, the voting went on well from what I have gathered.
I, therefore, congratulate the NRM members. Where problems were encountered, do not be provoked. We shall get the culprits.
Signed:
Yoweri K. Museveni
Ssaabalwanyi
Ssemalungu
I am using these bush titles to sensitize the Bazzukulu about our history.
You can see the list of winners and losers in NRM primaries 2025 as well the Museveni ministers who have lost NRM primaries Here and There.
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