The Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Governance (CCG), Dr. Sarah Bireete, has urged former Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, to join other senior leaders in championing democratic reforms in Uganda.
In a social media statement, Bireete expressed dismay at the way the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and President Yoweri Museveni sidelined Kadaga, despite her decades of service to the country and the women’s movement.
“I don’t know why I felt so bad at the way NRM and President Museveni humiliated Rebecca Kadaga,” Bireete said. “Rt. Hon. Kadaga has done so much work for Uganda and the women’s movement in particular, shortfalls notwithstanding.”
Bireete argued that leaders like Kadaga had helped entrench a political system that now threatens to sideline them.
“The problem with the likes of Kadaga is that they bred a kind of leadership that will eventually choke everyone of them out of their seats. They should never have allowed our democracy to degenerate to the current context,” she said, calling on Kadaga and others to take responsibility and rally for political change.
Her comments come amid heightened tensions in the NRM following a heated clash between President Museveni and Kadaga during Saturday’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting. The row centered on the race for NRM First National Vice Chairperson (Female), pitting Kadaga against Speaker of Parliament Anita Among.
Kadaga, the incumbent, accused the party leadership of ignoring loyalty and long-term service in favor of newcomers like Among, who joined NRM just three years ago.
“I have been a member of this party since inception. My loyalty is unquestionable,” Kadaga told delegates, warning that sidelining her would deepen divisions within the party.
President Museveni, however, rebuked her for invoking Busoga’s identity to defend her seat, insisting that the Central Executive Committee (CEC) process was fair and voluntary.
“Rebecca, you don’t own Busoga. You were not there when I was working with the previous kings, so you should sit down,” Museveni said firmly.
The President proposed a “win-win” compromise but, after both Kadaga and Among refused to step aside, ruled that the contest be decided at next week’s National Delegates’ Conference.
The showdown has exposed widening rifts in the ruling party as it heads toward the 2026 general elections, with analysts warning that the NRM’s internal battles could undermine its unity.
The Source Reports.
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