President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has sounded a strong warning to political leaders against the creeping culture of voter bribery, corruption, and election malpractice, describing them as vices that poison the political system and endanger Uganda’s future.
Addressing the National Resistance Movement (NRM) National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting at State House, Entebbe, on Saturday, August 23, 2025, Museveni rejected the notion that money should determine electoral outcomes.
“Money is poison. When leaders are elected through bribery or cheating, they become unaccountable to the people. That is what caused wars in the past, and we cannot allow it to happen again,” he said.
The President warned that both the government and the party would not hesitate to prosecute perpetrators of malpractice, stressing that “leadership must come through persuasion and example, not coercion or bribery.”
His message followed revelations at the NEC meeting that delegates of the Entrepreneurs League had been flown abroad by one candidate in an attempt to secure support. Museveni condemned the practice and ordered an investigation, saying: “This is exactly what I have been talking about. This is a dangerous precedent that we cannot allow to continue.”
Museveni reminded delegates that the UPC government’s failure to address electoral malpractice in the 1980s had been a major trigger of the bush war.
Alongside these warnings, the NEC proceeded to pass key resolutions ahead of the 2026 elections. It unanimously endorsed Museveni as the NRM Presidential Flag Bearer and National Chairman, and approved a line-up of candidates for top party positions to be presented at the upcoming National Delegates Conference.
Reading the resolutions, Secretary General Richard Todwong said they reflected the Movement’s “commitment to unity, continuity, and transformation.”
