Museveni to unveil NRM plan for high-income leap, protecting gains today

KAMPALA - President Yoweri Museveni is today, September 29, 2025, expected to launch the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party manifesto for 2026-2031.

Museveni, who is the NRM party flag-bearer for the presidency in the 2026 General Election, is expected to officially launch the manifesto at 12:00 from Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala city. 

The party is rooting for Museveni's reelection under the theme: Protecting the Gains: As we make a qualitative leap into high middle-income status, with a view to reaffirming what it is calling NRM’s commitment to consolidating progress, sustaining socio-economic transformation of Uganda.

In the next five years, should Museveni (incumbent) win next year’s election, NRM says its efforts will be centred on growing the economy and creating wealth; infrastructure development; human capital development; democracy, good governance and security; and regional integration and political federation.

Growing the economy

On the first pledge of growing the economy, the ruling party says economic stability is non-negotiable, particularly low inflation, a stable exchange rate, and prudent fiscal and monetary policies, which are fundamental in a free-market economy.

It says it has, over the past four decades, laid a strong foundation for Uganda’s stability, security, and socio-economic progress.

However, the journey to a fully transformed, modern, and prosperous Uganda is ongoing. “We remain resolute in our pursuit to transform Uganda into a modern, inclusive, and competitive economy that works for all,” it says.

It promises to grow the economy from $50b to $500b in the next 15 years and create wealth by ensuring that it completely eliminates spectators in the income-generation campaign.

“We want all energetic Ugandans to be players in the money economy. A modern economy has two key players: the consumers and the producers or wealth creators; and wealth is created by individuals, families, companies, etc,” it says.

The party, therefore, says that in the next five years, it will boost the wealth creation campaign by mobilising all the Ugandan households to become producers of either a good or a service in order to increase jobs, incomes and revenues for the government.

“We will not allow bystanders in the wealth creation drive. The other catalyst for economic growth and development is industrialisation. We will continue to invest in value addition in order to curb the loss of money and jobs, on account of exporting raw materials,” it pledges.

Human development

The ruling party says its government has continued to prioritise investment in education, healthcare, water, sanitation and environment. It notes that a country cannot transform without the state investing in its people.

The party says its initial sacrifice was to liberate the people of Uganda from oppressive regimes, and after it succeeded in removing the incompetent governments, thereby embarked on the mass programmes of immunisation and education for all in order to elevate the country’s human resources.

“This is how we have achieved the goal of a healthy and educated population. Our focus is on building a more skilled and science-oriented labour force to support manufacturing and innovation. Therefore, in the next five years, we will continue to implement reforms in the school curriculum, at all levels, to ensure that our institutions of learning produce more job creators, rather than job seekers,” it says.

NRM also says it will ensure that the school curriculum is aligned with the demands of the job market, that is, the private sector that needs engineers, electricians, science teachers, doctors and nurses, among others.

“Uganda has a big pool of talent, that is, athletes, footballers, musicians, etc. The NRM government will continue to harness the talents of our young people by building the sports infrastructure, supporting the talented men and women in the arts and creative industry, etc,” it says.

Democracy, good governance

The ruling party says its democratic credentials are unquestionable, and it has continued to conduct periodic general elections where the people exercise their constitutional rights to elect their leaders.

“The power to hire and fire leaders lies with the people. We will continue to uphold this gain. We also promise to continue protecting life and property, fighting crime and impunity, and combating all threats to our peace and security,” it says.

It also promises to continue to conduct regular free and fair elections, continue to support special interest groups to participate in policy and decision-making at all levels, and promote affirmative action in all organs of government.

The party also pledges to promote the use of digital technologies in elections, ensure careful monitoring and oversight to prevent manipulation, and strengthen the National Electoral Commission’s capacity to undertake mass civic education and to conduct free and fair elections.

Other promises on democracy and good governance are: supporting the timely handling and resolution of all electoral disputes, and continuing to support the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue to promote inter-party dialogue.

Regional integration, political federation

NRM says Pan-Africanism is one of its core principles and a key pillar guiding its cooperation framework with fellow Africans.

“We recognise the need for our unity as a basis for rewriting the mistakes that the colonialists made in dividing us. The political balkanisation of Africa created small states, many of which have small populations. Uganda, with 46 million people, is one of the bigger states. The solution to this problem is regional integration,” it says.

The party explains that its visionary leadership remains committed to the three historical missions, that is, prosperity, security and fraternity of the African people.

“The three goals cannot be achieved if Africa remains fragmented into the current 54 states. Each of these states have neither a big market to support their people’s prosperity nor military muscle to defend their interests against a powerful predator from outside,” the party writes.

Therefore, it says, the opportunity for guaranteeing the prosperity and security of its people lies in building regional and political integration of Africa.

“The NRM will continue to exploit the linkages and similarities among the African people to foster unity. The NRM has defended Uganda with meagre resources in the past. We now have greater means and resources to keep away parasites and opportunists, who imagine that they can reap where they did not sow,” it says.

It also notes that it has put Uganda in an enviable position; and, therefore, there are many Kamunyes (carnivorous birds), with their mouths watering for Uganda’s coffee, gold, timber, iron ore and other riches.

“With the NRM at the helm of the country’s affairs, Ugandans can be rest assured that their resources are safe, and that those resources will be sustainably exploited to create wealth and jobs for everyone. That is why the theme of this manifesto is: ‘Protecting the Gains’,” it says.

The party says this theme resonates with its historical mission of guaranteeing Uganda’s prosperity and security.

It promises to support implementation of activities leading to East African Community (EAC) political federation, including the promulgation of the EAC Constitution; work within the EAC framework to establish a single EAC currency; and work with other EAC member countries to eliminate all non-tariff barriers within the region.

Other promises include promoting the use of Kiswahili language across the country, and taking advantage of the provisions in the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement to increase trade with other African countries.

NRM says it, therefore, worked with Kenya and Tanzania to revive the EAC and expand it to include Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan.

“We are now exporting to the region goods and services to the tune of $2.84b in financial year 2024/25, yet this is just the start. Much more is possible and much more will be achieved,” it says.

With these promises, the party says Uganda will make a qualitative leap into a high middle-income economy of $500b.

“Therefore, people of Uganda, vote for H.E. Y.K. Museveni for President and other NRM flag-bearers at all levels,” the NRM, which has led Uganda uninterrupted since January 1986, implores Ugandans aged 18 years and above.