ROAD TO 2026! D/Speaker Tayebwa, Mbarara NRM Leaders Declare War on Independent Candidates

By Amos Tayebwa

Mbarara, Uganda — As the country gears up for the 2026 general elections, senior National Resistance Movement (NRM) leaders have launched a strong campaign to isolate party-leaning independent candidates, urging voters to back only official NRM flag bearers.

The call was made over the weekend during a thanksgiving ceremony held at the home of Patrick Musinguzi Akooki, the NRM flag bearer for Kashari North Constituency, in Bisya Ward, Rubindi–Ruhumba Town Council, Mbarara District.

The event attracted top NRM figures including Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa, NRM Vice Chairman for Western Uganda Jordan Asiimwe, and several district leaders who vowed to defend party cohesion ahead of the elections.

Tayebwa: “Only Flag Bearers Will Be Supported”

Addressing the gathering, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa urged all NRM supporters to unite behind official flag bearers and reject claims that President Yoweri Museveni had endorsed losing primary candidates to contest as independents.

“As NRM leaders, we are set to support and rally behind only the flag bearers in all corners of the country to knock out the opposition and the so-called NRM independents,” Tayebwa said.

He emphasized that the party would defend its official candidates to the end, describing it as a core principle of multiparty democracy.

“I was recently in Arua with the President and other NRM leaders. The President did not endorse independent candidates to run against party flag bearers,” he clarified. “Those spreading such claims are creating confusion within the party.”

Tayebwa acknowledged that many independents remain loyal to NRM and President Museveni but insisted that discipline and party unity must prevail.

“I know some of my colleagues who lost the flag will be disappointed, but that’s the naked truth. Politics is not about friendship — when it comes to the yellow colour, I blindly follow only the flag bearers,” he said.

He also revealed plans to meet former MP Bazir Bataringaya, who lost the NRM primaries to Musinguzi, to discuss party harmony.

“I will visit my friend Bataringaya to understand why he is returning as an independent and why the two have failed to reconcile,” Tayebwa added.

NRM Leaders Warned

In his remarks, NRM Vice Chairman for Western Uganda Jordan Asiimwe echoed the Deputy Speaker’s message, warning party structure leaders against supporting independents or opposition candidates.

“If you are a chairperson or leader in the NRM structures and you support an independent or opposition candidate, you are opposing the party constitution and the President himself,” he cautioned. Asiimwe said the party would soon hold meetings with those who lost in the primaries to seek reconciliation.

Mbarara District NRM Chairperson Prosper Kururagire also called for unity, urging voters to respect the will of the people expressed in the party primaries. “Bataringaya is still my friend, but the voters chose Musinguzi. We must support him as the rightful flag bearer,” he said.

Kururagire vowed that NRM in Mbarara would work tirelessly to ensure victory for all party flag bearers in the 2026 polls. The district’s key flag bearers include Patrick Musinguzi (Kashari North), J.B. Bamuturaki Tusiime (Kashari South), Loyda Kyarikunda Muhimbura (Woman MP, Mbarara District), and Hygiene Kururagire (LC5 Chairperson, Mbarara District).

Musinguzi Pledges to Defend NRM Flag

Musinguzi, who hosted the thanksgiving and fundraising event for Rubindi Parish priest’s car, thanked supporters for entrusting him with the party flag. He accused his rival Bataringaya of using money to influence voters during the primaries, saying he was confident of retaining his support base.

“People voted for me because they believed in me, not because of money. I didn’t spend a single coin, but I won with 11,000 votes,” Musinguzi said. “By hook or crook, I must go to Parliament since I have the flag — and I will protect it,” he added.