NRM unveils Museveni’s 2026 campaign portrait and theme, signals hard push for another term

The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has unveiled President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s official 2026 campaign portrait alongside a new message to anchor its drive into the polls: “Protecting the Gains as We Make a Qualitative Leap into a High Middle Income Status.”

The unveiling at the NRM Secretariat, Plot 10 Kyadondo Road, Kampala, was led by First National Vice Chairperson Al-Hajji Moses Kigongo, with senior party leaders in attendance.

The official poster features Museveni on the NRM’s signature yellow, the party crest, and the long-form theme line emphasizing continuity and an economic “leap.” NRM says the slogan builds on a lineage of earlier campaign messages, such as “Prosperity for All,” “Steady Progress,” and “Securing Your Future”, and is meant to frame 2026-2031 as a consolidation phase toward higher middle-income status.

At the event, Kigongo framed the launch as a “renewal” moment and urged unity and persuasion-led mobilization. Secretary General Richard Todwong situated the theme in historical party messaging and recent growth figures.

What the launch signals

The portrait and theme roll-out mark the start of the NRM’s public-facing campaign season and follow the party’s confirmation that Museveni will again be its presidential flag-bearer in the January 2026 polls. He has led Uganda since 1986.

Who is likely to challenge Museveni?

Uganda’s Electoral Commission is running the 2025/26 roadmap toward the 12 January 2026 general elections. By mid-August, officials reported that over 50 aspirants had picked presidential nomination forms, though only a handful are expected to mount credible national campaigns.

Most credible/declared contenders so far include:

1. Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) – NUP
2. Maj. Gen. (rtd) Mugisha Muntu – ANT
3. Nathan Nandala Mafabi – FDC
4. Joseph Kabuleta – NEED/Independent
   

Why Museveni still holds the advantage

Incumbency & state reach: Museveni enters the race with the full weight of incumbency, giving NRM superior organization, resources, and visibility nationwide.

Fragmented opposition: With NUP, ANT, FDC, and others pursuing separate tickets, the anti-NRM vote risks splitting under Uganda’s first-round 50%-plus-one system.

Early agenda setting: By locking in a unifying theme around “protecting gains” and a “qualitative leap,” NRM is defining the campaign narrative months ahead of nominations.

Opposition headwinds: The strongest challenger, Bobi Wine, faces increasing restrictions on his political space.

Why this theme, and why now?

NRM officials cast the 2026 message as a bridge from “stability” to “qualitative transformation”, a claim the party will buttress with talking points on infrastructure, oil and gas prospects, agriculture programs, and social services. The unveiling gives district cadres a single, repeatable line to carry into primaries and grassroots meetings while the opposition is still firming up tickets and alliances.