The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) on Monday marked 40 years since it took power, celebrating what it described as a historic liberation milestone. The anniversary, however, has reignited debate among opposition leaders and January 15 presidential contenders who question both the basis and meaning of the celebrations.
Critics argue that the event conflates the 1986 liberation war with the NRM’s later evolution into a political party, while glossing over the political, economic and social realities facing Ugandans today. They say the ideals that inspired the armed struggle have since been abandoned.
Opposition figures point to declining democratic standards, weak internal party democracy, persistent corruption, worsening human rights conditions and failures in key sectors such as health, education and employment. For them, the 40-year mark is less a moment of triumph than an opportunity for national reflection on whether the promises of liberation have truly been fulfilled. Below is what 2026 presidential candidates said on Monday about the NRM/A’s 40th anniversary:
Rt Gen Mugisha Muntu (Alliance National Transformation)
‘There is confusion. What is being celebrated is the liberation war. NRM were systems. In 2004, NRM became a party. It is not the same thing. Remember, many of us were in that struggle when we fought, took power, and established the systems. When parties came back, of course, NRM became a party. Once you claim that, it is imprecise; it is not factual. Individuals made choices; some went into the NRM party, others returned from politics, and others went into other parties. But for losing track of the principles that we fought for, basically, those who went into the NRM lost total direction. If you imagine what took us to the bush to fight, to win the election, it is exactly what is happening now. If you look at the internal electoral process of NRM as a party, it was an absolute mess, and it was self-evident. Anybody honest enough can say that it is a party with no internal democratic processes. And no party can give what it does not have. The struggle continues because the struggle is not about naming, it is about the substance of objectives and intentions.’
Elton Joseph Mabirizi (Conservative Party): ‘When we talk about liberation, there is a song I’m tired of called “Security.” It’s still an issue for 40 years, and a lot of money is being injected into it. So we needed a federal system where security is shared among the regions and the central government. So security has been sung for over 40 years, and then you are celebrating the liberation of what? When we look at health, there are still issues of no medicine in hospitals, people are dying, and the health facilities are poor. Talk about education that is not benefiting the learners, the graduates, or the parents. Someone pays bowls and sacks of money after finishing school and jobs. So, which kind of liberation has not thought about a new system of education, and we still go with the one that was left with us by the whites? And when it comes to a change of leadership. A person who came saying I have liberated you, the problem of African leaders is overstaying in power, and that he won’t cling to power, he has now ruled for 40 years. The same things that took him to the bush are the same things, even more happening in his regime. He changed the constitution, which was captured. All of us are captured now. So I don’t see any reason for celebration. There are no reasons for celebration. No, not at all. When you consider how the nation was moving before the guerrilla war, it was far better than now. Then, when they destabilised the nation for five years, that’s when the nation experienced the bad times. Provocation, abduction, killings, and we are experiencing that same today. So if we are to compare, almost nothing has changed. We are experiencing the same. My brother was picked up and taken away, and he was killed. So the same story today.’
Robert Kasibante (National Peasants Party): ‘It is absurd that the NRM is celebrating 40 years in power when the country’s systems are marred by impunity and unaddressed injustices. This is a system that disrespects the tenets of democracy, where corruption is the order of the day in public offices, and the rule of law is undermined. The continued imprisonment of opposition leaders, including Dr Kizza Besigye, and many other injustices show a government that has abandoned accountability and democratic values. Celebrating under such conditions is a bad gesture to Ugandans who continue to suffer from issues of unemployment and corruption. I call upon every Ugandan not to stay silent but stand up and join hands to restore the integrity and dignity of our nation.’
Mr Mubarak Munyagwa (Common Man’s Party): ‘The National Resistance Movement party should reduce the expenditure on public holidays and make them more meaningful. I strongly believe that those people who went to the bush are indeed heroes. Had I been around at the time, I would have joined them. We can, however, dump the character of public holidays and functions due to the cost involved. Developments could be brought in the areas as a way of remembering their good deeds, which will be of benefit to the people. A launch of a hospital, for example, in the names of Fredrick Jenna could be set up in western Uganda as a way of commemorating their day rather than spending Shs30b.’
Other opposition leaders
Patrick Amuriat (Forum for Democratic Change president): ‘Ugandans have nothing to celebrate as far as the National Resistance Movement (NRM) liberation is concerned. Poverty continues to afflict many citizens despite the party having been in power for 40 years. NRM has failed the economy, because a small section of the population has accumulated wealth, yet the majority of Ugandans remain poor and cannot afford necessities. The NRM has failed to uphold democracy, which was one of the core pillars that pushed the party into the bush. The NRM was born out of a lack of democracy following the disputed 1980 elections, which led to a guerrilla war. We had hoped the NRM would bring democratic change to this country, but they have failed. Bribery, manipulation, and electoral malpractice continue to prevail, as was witnessed during the just-concluded elections. So, the party has failed.’
Joel Ssenyonyi (National Unity Platform spokesperson and Leader of Opposition in Parliament): ‘The plausible way to rate the NRM is against their 10-point program, which they commenced with as an agenda. Our Country’s democracy has degenerated as is seen with the nature of our elections, Uganda is one of the most corrupt nations globally, they talk of security but one can’t move around in the night safely, sectarianism is the order of the day, our sovereignty is at stake because of the numerous problematic loans we get from China and elsewhere, our economy continues to plunge affecting the everyday lives of the citizenry, social services are at an all-time low, the inequality gap continues to widen, Countries in the region relate with us out of fear, institutions have broken down. The biggest achievement for them is that they have managed to keep power for 4 decades, of course, by using the military and rigging elections. Even the good they began by fixing in the first years of taking power has dissipated; it has been eroded over time. It doesn’t matter how much more time they get in power; they can no longer fix the Country. We need a reboot.’
Museveni on his election win, defeating seven opposition presidential candidates: ‘I hear our opposition wasting time. If you don’t know Uganda, you can really waste time. They are lucky all my supporters didn’t turn up. If they’d turned up, there would be no opposition in Uganda.”