NRM Youth Cadres Reject PLU Directive, Call For Due Process In Parliamentary Leadership Race

A youth cadre platform within the ruling National Resistance Movement has publicly distanced itself from calls to back the current parliamentary leadership, insisting that the party must follow its established internal procedures as it prepares to select candidates for Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the forthcoming 12th Parliament.

The NRM Revolutionary Network, a youth leaning group of cadres within the party, announced its position on Monday during a press briefing in Kampala where members rejected a recent directive urging legislators to rally behind the current office holders. The group said the decision on who should lead Parliament must emerge through the party’s formal organs rather than through endorsements from external political platforms.

The response follows a call by the Patriotic League of Uganda urging Members of Parliament associated with the platform to support the incumbents for the two top parliamentary positions.

While acknowledging that individuals and organisations are free to express their opinions, the youth network argued that such statements should not be interpreted as binding decisions of the ruling party.

“As a network of committed young cadres devoted to the ideological foundations and institutional integrity of the Movement, we believe leadership processes must be guided by systems and procedures rather than public directives,” the network said in a statement read to journalists.

Members of the group explained that the National Resistance Movement already has a clear framework for selecting its parliamentary leadership.

According to the NRM Parliamentary Caucus Rules of Procedure of 2014, interested Members of Parliament must formally express interest to the party’s Electoral Commission before their names are considered by the Central Executive Committee. The final endorsement is then made by the NRM Parliamentary Caucus ahead of the first sitting of Parliament.

Jude Mugagga, one of the network’s representatives who addressed the media, said attempts to predetermine the outcome of the process risk undermining the discipline and institutional culture that has long defined the party. He noted that adherence to the laid down procedures allows leadership choices to emerge from consultation and collective decision making among party members.

Beyond the leadership debate, the youth platform also used the occasion to unveil a nationwide mobilisation campaign aimed at strengthening ideological awareness within the party’s grassroots structures. The initiative will see the recruitment of district and regional mobilisers tasked with engaging young cadres, promoting participation in internal party activities and reinforcing the Movement’s core principles among the next generation of supporters.

Organisers said the campaign seeks to deepen understanding of the party’s history and values while encouraging youth involvement in decision making structures across the country.

The network maintained that its intervention is not directed at individuals but at safeguarding the integrity of the party’s institutions. Members argued that preserving clear and transparent procedures is essential as the ruling party prepares for the transition into the next parliamentary term.

By calling for adherence to established systems while expanding its grassroots mobilisation, the youth network signalled an effort to shape internal debate within the Movement as discussions around the leadership of the 12th Parliament gradually take shape.