President Museveni has called on National Resistance Movement (NRM) Members of Parliament to uphold integrity, strengthen internal party democracy, and intensify the war on corruption, warning that graft at both local and national levels continues to undermine public trust and economic growth.
Addressing the NRM Parliamentary Caucus on Friday, August 7, 2026, at Speke Resort Munyonyo, the NRM National Chairman instructed lawmakers to actively monitor government programmes and expose officials squandering public funds.
"Corruption weakens government institutions just as diseases weaken the human body. It diverts resources meant for development and creates resentment among the people," President Museveni told the legislators.
The high-level meeting brought together NRM MPs, Cabinet ministers, members of the Central Executive Committee (CEC), the NRM Secretariat, and the Party Electoral Commission. Among the key resolutions, the ruling party caucus agreed to formally partner with independent lawmakers aligned with the NRM.
Industrialisation hindered by graft
The President expressed deep concern over reports of corrupt government officials frustrating foreign and local investors, disclosing that some entrepreneurs had moved their manufacturing units to neighbouring countries due to extortion and bureaucratic delays.
He cited widespread irregularities in the allocation of land within industrial parks, pledging that the government would purge corrupt networks to safeguard industrialisation and job creation.
Taking to his official X (formerly Twitter) account after the meeting, President Museveni reinforced his directives: "Today, I met the NRM Parliamentary Caucus at Munyonyo and shared with them what I picked from wananchi during the recent campaigns. I directed that corruption in the health sector and the Parish Development Model (PDM) be decisively tackled. The theft of medicines, absenteeism by health workers, diversion of PDM funds, the sale of government jobs, and all forms of corruption must stop."
He added: "These MPs must speak out without fear, monitor government programmes closely, and ensure that they deliver real benefits to the people."
Crisis in public health
Addressing critical bottlenecks in the health sector, President Museveni highlighted severe medicine shortages and chronic absenteeism among senior doctors, pointing out that public facilities were largely surviving on medical interns because full-time doctors spend their time running private clinics.
"When the bishops came to see me, they told me that, 'You are now killing us. If you don't pay the interns, they are the only ones who have been in the hospital... Because for them, they don't have private practice,'" Museveni recounted.
The President announced that he would soon present a policy proposal to Cabinet to overhaul the public health staffing structure, hinting at replacing absentee medical officers with unemployed, young doctors.
"We have got a lot of doctors. Some of the doctors are even not working in the government—they don't have jobs," he said. "So, we need to come to a situation where we say, 'Okay, if you don't want to work for the government, go away, work for the private sector, and let's recruit younger people.'"
He also urged lawmakers to emphasize preventive healthcare, specifically targeting diseases linked to poor sanitation and aflatoxin contamination.
Primaries flaws forcing cadres independent
Reflecting on the ruling party's recent electoral performance, President Museveni commended the NRM for its victories in the Village Women Council and Local Council I (LCI) chairperson elections. However, he cautioned against ignoring flawed primary elections, which he noted often force committed party members to run as independent candidates.
"We still need to sort out the issue of integrity, especially in the conduct of our party primaries. When committed members lose in the primaries but go on to win overwhelmingly as independents, we must ask ourselves what happened in the primary election," Museveni stated.
Briefing the caucus on behalf of NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong, the Deputy Secretary General Rose Namayanja Nsereko outlined the party's recent electoral milestones, pointing to victories in the Kikuube District LCV Chairperson by-election and the Kalangala District Woman MP by-election as proof of the NRM's strong nationwide footprint.
According to figures presented by Namayanja, the NRM secured 71.9 percent of the LCI Chairperson races—winning 51,093 villages—and captured 91.6 percent of the Village Women Council positions across Uganda.
"The National Resistance Movement participated actively throughout the country and registered an overwhelming victory, reaffirming the confidence and trust that Ugandans continue to place in the leadership and policies of the NRM," Namayanja said.
Despite the wins, Namayanja acknowledged underlying operational challenges, including poor civic education, localized voter bribery, electoral malpractice, and bitter internal rivalries. She called for nationwide reconciliation efforts and sustained voter education ahead of upcoming national general elections.
Strategic caucus resolutions
Presenting the caucus resolutions, Government Chief Whip Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng confirmed that the party formally agreed to work closely with independent MPs who have aligned themselves with the NRM Parliamentary Caucus.
The caucus further committed to:
• Intensifying the nationwide fight against corruption and strengthening electoral integrity.
• Safeguarding funds allocated under the Parish Development Model (PDM).
• Supporting strategic government investments in value addition, regional integration, defense, infrastructure, education, and irrigation.
Source: Monitor.
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