The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has a brand-new look at the very top. After a night of heated voting and surprise twists, only President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the party’s National Chairman, and his First Vice Chairperson, Alhaji Moses Kigongo, survived without opposition. All the other top seats in the Central Executive Committee (CEC) were swept away by fresh leaders, signaling a major shift inside the party.
The elections, held at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, started on Wednesday afternoon and dragged deep into the night. By the time Dr. Tanga Odoi, the Chairperson of the NRM Electoral Commission, announced the last results at 4:30 a.m., it was clear that the party had entered a new chapter.
The biggest story of the night came when Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among defeated her long-time rival, former Speaker Rebecca Kadaga. Among won the race for Second National Vice Chairperson (Female) with a landslide—an overwhelming 11,680 votes compared to Kadaga’s 902. In her speech, she thanked the delegates and praised Kadaga for her past contribution, saying the party would still rely on her wisdom and guidance.
The Eastern Region vote brought its own drama when outgoing Vice Chairperson Captain Mike Mukula suddenly stepped down and endorsed David Calvin Echodu, who later swept the polls with 99.5% of the vote. In Karamoja, MP John Baptist Lokii claimed victory with over 80% of the vote, while in Northern Uganda, Government Chief Whip Hamson Obua trounced his rivals by a wide margin.
In Western Uganda, things turned stormy when outgoing Vice Chairperson Chris Baryomunsi lost to newcomer Asiimwe Jonard Akiiki. Baryomunsi cried foul before President Museveni, accusing rivals of voter importation, but the results stood. Kampala also witnessed high stakes as Salim Saad Uhuru beat Singh Katongole, while in Central Region, Minister Haruna Kasolo narrowly edged out Moses Karangwa in a tense contest that went down to the wire.
President Museveni himself had to step in around midnight to clear confusion during the lining-up voting process. He ordered unaccredited individuals out of the queues, helping restore order. At dawn, he congratulated the winners and urged calm among the losers, promising that any irregularities would be investigated.
With the results now final, the new NRM CEC for 2025–2030 is ready. It includes Museveni as Chairman, Moses Kigongo as 1st Vice Chairperson, and Anita Among as 2nd Vice Chairperson (Female). The regional representatives are David Calvin Echodu (Eastern), John Baptist Lokii (Karamoja), Hamson Obua (Northern), Asiimwe Jonard Akiiki (Western), Salim Uhuru (Kampala), and Haruna Kasolo (Central). Special interest groups will soon add their representatives to complete the team.
Later today, President Museveni is expected to officially close the Delegates Conference, present the new CEC to the nation, and formally be introduced as the party’s unopposed flagbearer for the 2026 elections.
This election has not only reshaped the CEC but also shown the shifting power dynamics inside NRM, as new faces take charge while long-serving members step aside.
