NRM Unveils Museveni’s 2026 Portrait, Pledges to ‘Protect the Gains’

By Gad Masereka

The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has unveiled the official campaign portrait of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, formally setting the tone for the 2026 elections under the banner, “Protecting the Gains as We Make a Qualitative Leap into High Middle-Income Status.”

The launch, held on August 19 at the party’s headquarters in Kyadondo, was presided over by First National Vice Chairman Alhajj Moses Kigongo, standing in for President Museveni, and attended by First Vice Chairperson (Female) Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga and Secretary General Rt. Hon. Richard Todwong.

Todwong told party chairpersons that the new campaign theme represents continuity in safeguarding achievements registered over nearly four decades of NRM rule, while pushing the country towards higher economic aspirations. “Uganda is now one of the most independent economies, growing at 7 percent annually, with GDP production at \$45 billion. That qualifies us for middle-income status,” he said.

He urged party structures to “accept and reuse” the theme as the central mobilization message ahead of the 2026 polls.

The Senior Presidential Advisor and ONC Manager, Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye, who has been instrumental in the grassroots mobilization drive, highlighted the power of slogans in shaping political momentum. “We started with TovaKuMain, which the people embraced as their own.

We then declared Jajja Omalako Sigala Ku Ballot to silence the transition talk, and it was the President himself who later acknowledged that the Bazzukulu had commanded him to stand again,” she said.

Namyalo rallied the youth to remain at the heart of the campaign, crediting Museveni for programs like Emyooga, the Parish Development Model, and the new GROW fund, which she said directly empower households.

Alhajj Kigongo used the occasion to caution cadres against complacency and internal wrangles, urging a return to “NRA methods of persuasion” rather than division. “We are here to renew our mandate so that our chairman becomes president for the next five years. But unity is everything. If we are not together, this movement will not stand,” he told the gathering.

With opposition parties stepping up mobilization and internal contests brewing within the NRM itself, the unveiling of Museveni’s portrait and campaign slogan marks the official beginning of the election roadmap.

Political observers note that the party will lean heavily on its record of stability, infrastructure development, and economic reforms, while promising a “qualitative leap” into upper-middle-income status.

The portrait, now adopted as the official campaign image, will feature on posters, banners, and rallies across the country, symbolizing Museveni’s intent to seek a seventh elective term at the helm of Uganda.