The race for the Central Executive Committee (CEC) top positions in the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) is heating up with several party members vying to battle it out with the incumbents for regional vice chairpersons as aspirants started picking nomination forms yesterday.
The NRM vice chairpersons sit on CEC, a key organ of the party, whose core functions include directing political leadership of the party, initiating key decisions, formulating policies for considerations by the National Executive Committee (NEC) and appointing staff at the party secretariat.
From yesterday until Wednesday, the NRM members, who are vying for the top positions in CEC, will pick expression of interest and nomination forms either online or physically from the NRM’s electoral commission headquarters on Kyadondo Road, in Kampala.
The CEC positions contested for are national chairperson, first national vice chairperson, second national vice chairperson (female) and the six regional vice chairpersons representing Kampala, central, western, eastern, northern and Karamoja.
Sources within CEC have alerted us that the top three positions; national chairperson currently held by Mr Museveni, First National Vice Chairperson held by Mr Moses Kigongo and Second National Vice Chairperson (female), which is anticipated to be retained by Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga, are not expected to attract any competition and the bearers will most likely go unopposed.
The new race is about regional vice chairpersons. Capt Mike Mukula, the vice chairperson for eastern region, Maj Gen (Rtd) Matayo Kyaligonza (western), Mr Sam Engola (northern) Mr Abdul Nadduli (central), Mr Godfrey Nyakaana (Kampala) and Mr Simon Peter Aleper (Karamoja) will face new challengers for their positions.
Western region
As of January when NRM was preparing for its National Delegates Conference, party mobiliser in the Rwenzori region, Mr Felix Milly Kabyanga, was the only known challenger against Gen Kyaligonza, Uganda’s ambassador to Burundi.
However, the elections were not held at the January 25 conference after CEC decided that the only item on the agenda was to amend the party constitution to provide for a voting system of lining up behind candidates for the internal elections.
Mr Kabyanga has since withdrawn from the contest. The State Minister for Housing, Dr Chris Baryomunsi, and Mr Alexander Akandwanaho Saleh, the son to Gen Salim Saleh, have entered the race for the seat.
However, sources close to State House told this websitethat Mr Kabyanga was persuaded out of the race by Mr Museveni, who wants to assign him a “big job of delivering Kasese District from the hands of the Opposition”.
Eastern region
At the weekend, social media was awash with campaign posters for Capt Mukula, who is seeking to retain his vice chairperson position.
He is facing former Tororo Municipality MP Sanjay Tana. Mr Tana confirmed his intention to challenge Capt Mukula for vice chairperson.
“Our team is still consulting and a decision to pick forms and getting nominated will be taken in due course,” Mr Tana said.
Northern region
The race for the northern region vice chairperson has attracted the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Jacob Oulanyah, who wants to unseat Mr Sam Engola, the State Minister for Defence.
Winning the vice chairperson slot and thus sitting in CEC, which is critical in determining who becomes Speaker of Parliament, would benefit Mr Oulanyah in taking his fight for the Speaker’s job .
It is the CEC that selects the name for Speaker, which is then forwarded to the party caucus for final endorsement before the matter goes to the House for voting.
On Friday shortly after the NRM electoral commission chairman, Dr Tanga Odoi, released the party roadmap for internal elections, Mr Oulanyah tweeted his campaign poster under the wording; “a new dawn for Northern Uganda”.
Sources close to his camp for the next speakership say Mr Oulanyah believes if he does not make it to CEC, his chances of unseating Ms Kadaga as Speaker will be significantly diminished since she is nearly a permanent member there.
Others who have already expressed interest for the Speaker’s position are the First Deputy Prime Minister, Gen Moses Ali, former Speaker of East African Legislative Assembly Sam Kidega and Disaster Preparedness and Refugees minister Hilary Onek.
Central region
Currently, Hajj Abdul Nadduli is the central region vice chairperson. He is facing Foreign Affairs minister Sam Kutesa.
From posters widely shared on social media forums, Mr Kutesa is premising his campaign on strengthening the NRM party in central region.
Also vying for the position is State Minister for Tourism, Mr Godfrey Kiwanda, one of the NRM young turks.
The NRM has a huge task to defeat the emerging People Power movement led by presidential hopeful and Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine.
The process
While releasing the party roadmap on Friday, Dr Odoi said after the nominations for these top positions between July 27 and 28, the candidates will be subjected to vetting process by CEC and NEC before the elections at the delegates conference scheduled for August 7-8.
The process will be run concurrently with that of choosing presidential candidate.
“After these nominations, these candidates will be vetted by CEC and NEC from July 30 to August 5. The names will then be forwarded to the delegates conference that will sit on August 7 and 8 to elect the presidential flag bearer, national chairperson, first national vice chairperson, second national vice chairperson who must be female and the six regional vice chairpersons,” Dr Odoi said.
Key dates on NRM roadmap
July 20: Secretary general hands over register of 11.9m NRM voters to the party’s electoral commission
July 20-22: Picking of expression of interest and nomination forms for presidential flag bearer, national chairperson and vice chairpersons
July 27-28: Nominations for presidential flag bearer, national chairperson and vice chairpersons
July 30-Aug 5: CEC and NEC vets presidential flag bearer, national chairperson and vice chairpersons
August 7-8: National Delegates’ conference in line with Covid-19 guidelines to elect presidential flag bearer, national chairperson and vice chairpersons
July 23-31: Online expression of interest and picking nomination forms for Woman MPs, directly elected MPs, LC5 chairpersons and city mayors.
August 10-11: Nominations at party EC headquarters for Woman MP, directly elected MPs, LC5 chairpersons and city mayors for western region.
August 12-13: Nominations at party EC headquarters for Woman MP, directly elected MPs, LC5 chairpersons and city mayors for northern, West Nile and Karamoja regions.
August 14-15: Nominations at Party EC headquarters for Woman MP, directly elected MPs, LC5 chairpersons and city mayors for central and Kampala regions.
August 17-18: Nominations at Party EC headquarters for Woman MP, directly elected MPs, LC5 chairpersons and city mayors for eastern region.
August 18-21: Public to inspect candidates’ academic credentials and lodging of complaints where necessary.
August 10-27: Campaigns for LC5 and city lord mayors in line with Ministry of Health Covid-19 guidelines.
August 21-Sept 8: Campaigns for Woman MP and directly elected MPs in line with the Ministry of Health Covid-19 guidelines.
Sept 10: Polling day for Woman MP and directly elected MPs candidates by lining up.
Oct 9-10: EC to submit list of flag bearers for all elective positions to the Secretary General for endorsement and onward mobilsation.