Gen Kayanja Slams NRM Over Electoral Malpractice, Cites Betrayal of NRA Values

Lieutenant General Elly Kayanja, former commander of Operation Wembley and a veteran of the National Resistance Army (NRA), has publicly condemned the conduct of the recent National Resistance Movement (NRM) primaries, calling for a return to the movement’s founding principles.

His comments come in the wake of his sister, Asha Lubyayi Kayanja, losing the Rakai District Woman MP flag and filing a formal petition challenging the results.

Addressing journalists in Kampala on Thursday, Kayanja criticised what he called a moral crisis at the heart of Uganda’s ruling party and warned that the values for which the NRA fought are being eroded.

“The government we fought for is not the one we are seeing today,” Kayanja said. “We fought for justice, transparency, discipline, and national interest. What we are seeing now is bribery, lawlessness, and impunity.”

He pointed to the NRA’s historic 10-Point Programme—once the ideological backbone of Uganda’s political reform—as a framework the country must urgently revisit.

“If we do not go back to the values in the 10 Points, we will lose our country,” he warned. “The culture of bribery and malpractice has taken root. It is no longer about service to the people, but service to self.”

Asha Lubyayi Kayanja, who came second in the Rakai primaries with 30,400 votes against incumbent Juliet Kinyamatama’s 44,000, has petitioned the NRM’s electoral tribunal alleging voter intimidation, use of unmarked drones, and open bribery.

“I am extremely aggrieved by what happened during the elections,” Asha said. “Drone cars without number plates roamed the area, creating fear. People were intimidated and bribed to stand behind my opponent. It was not a fair election.”

A third candidate, Kamazinga, received 2,500 votes.

Asha further accused Namatama of making “wild” campaign promises, including pledging to give two cows to each voter, and of abandoning her constituency for most of her ten years in office.

“She only returned two months to elections,” Asha said. “People believe if they don’t fight dirty, they won’t win. This thinking is dangerous. It kills democracy. It creates apathy.”

Whether Lt Gen Kayanja’s rebuke will lead to any meaningful introspection within the ruling party remains uncertain.

But his intervention reflects a growing unease within the old guard over the party's current direction—and a reminder that the cracks in Uganda’s political system can no longer be glossed over.