Museveni condemns electoral malpractices in NRM primaries, orders prosecution of offenders

President Yoweri Museveni has strongly condemned irregularities reported during the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party primaries held on July 17, 2025, warning of tough action against perpetrators.

In a detailed post-election message to NRM members, Museveni expressed concern over what he described as “unpatriotic actors” who allegedly tampered with the party’s democratic process through result manipulation, register tampering, voter bribery, and violence.

“These are politically and ideologically wrong and must be condemned by all lovers of the NRM and Uganda,” Museveni said. He disclosed that 9.22 million members participated in the primaries—a turnout he described as commendable, given it took place mid-week on a working day. However, he noted that this figure represents about 50% of the confirmed 18.5 million NRM members.

Among the most troubling issues Museveni identified were the altering of election results despite the transparency of lining behind candidates, the tampering with registers—some of which appeared bloated despite an earlier clean-up on May 6, 2025—the use of violence in some areas, which resulted in injuries and even loss of life, and the use of money and materials to bribe voters.

Museveni ordered the prosecution of individuals involved in these electoral malpractices, beginning with those who tampered with results in full view of the public. He warned that the entire village knew who voted for whom during the lining-up process, making result-alteration both obvious and traceable. “It is not only the registrar that knows the results village by village. If you altered the results, we are coming for you,” he warned.

The president also said those behind the violence will be pursued, especially as such incidents were widely witnessed by the public. He urged a close examination of the involvement of soldiers and police officers, asking whether any incidents were due to mistakes by security personnel or provocations by hired goons linked to bankrupt political actors.

Further, he called for scrutiny of the voter registers, noting that despite earlier verification, some irregularities were still discovered after voting. Beyond the primaries, Museveni reminded party members that the fundamental goal of electing leaders is to solve the people’s problems—a process he termed kukyenuura.

He pointed to achievements such as the elimination of polio and measles through immunization, an end to shortages of essential commodities thanks to liberalization, the resolution of Uganda’s refugee crisis through reconciliation, and the improvement of livelihoods through wealth creation initiatives such as the Parish Development Model.

Museveni stressed that only leaders and parties that can properly implement government programs to solve the people’s problems deserve support. “The purpose of electing leaders is to rationally choose those who can solve the solvable problems of the Wanainchi,” he said. Despite the challenges, Museveni concluded on a hopeful note, observing that the voting process went well in many parts of the country.