
Aspirant’s CEC Ambition Fueled by Desire to Bypass “Costly” Bureaucracy to See Party Chairman
KAMPALA – A startling revelation has emerged from the ongoing party internal elections, exposing deep-seated frustrations within the ranks of the National Resistance Movement (NRM). A member contesting for a highly coveted position on the Central Executive Committee (CEC) has privately confessed that his primary motivation is to circumvent the arduous and expensive process required to secure an audience with the party chairman, President Yoweri Museveni.
The aspirant, whose identity remains confidential, made the candid admission to Mr. Peter Kibazo, a prominent commentator and public affairs analyst.
According to Kibazo, the individual stated that “the only reason he wanted to be in CEC was to avoid the bureaucracy and UGX 30 million to get to the Party Chairman.”
This claim suggests that individuals or groups outside the top party leadership structure are required to pay significant sums of money—reportedly up to thirty million shillings—to navigate a complex bureaucratic system simply to get a meeting with the party chairman.
The admission points to a potential “pay-to-access” culture within the upper echelons of the party, where direct access to leadership is commoditized. A seat on the CEC, the party’s top organ, would grant the member automatic and regular access to the chairman and other senior officials, effectively bypassing the alleged financial gatekeeping.
The revelation has sparked concerns about transparency and internal democracy within the party. Critics argue that if access to the top leadership is predicated on wealth rather than merit or the urgency of a matter, it risks alienating the grassroots membership and entrenching a class system within the political organization.
“This is a very serious allegation,” said a political scientist from Makerere University who preferred anonymity. “It implies that the party’s internal mechanisms are not functioning on principles of openness. If true, it means that policy influence and the ear of the chairman are for sale, which is a fundamental governance problem.”
When reached for comment, NRM officials dismissed the claim as an isolated opinion from a disgruntled aspirant. The party’s Deputy Spokesperson, Mr. Rogers Mulindwa, stated, “The NRM has clear and open channels of communication for all its members. The party chairman is always accessible to legitimate party structures. We are not aware of any such fees, and this sounds like the exaggerated frustration of an individual.”
However, the allegation from the CEC aspirant, as relayed by Kibazo, is likely to fuel ongoing debates about privilege, access, and reform within Uganda’s largest political party as it continues its electoral processes.