Kampala, Uganda – Today, Duncan Abigaba, a prominent voice within the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, has sounded the alarm over what he calls “deep-seated dysfunction” within NRM that has ruled Uganda for nearly four decades.
Taking to social media under the hashtag #Abigaba4CEC, the outspoken NRM youth leader and former administrator of the Government Citizen Interaction Centre (GCIC) made an impassioned call for what he termed “Creative Disruption” a bold plan to reform, rebrand and reshape NRM to reflect the needs of today’s Uganda.
“For 40 years, NRM has restored peace & grown our economy twenty-fold. However, there’s apathy, the party serves a few, structures are dysfunctional, we’ve no recruitment plan & no jobs for youth,” Abigaba posted on X.
While internal critiques often whispered in the corridors of power, Abigaba’s public declaration has sent ripples through Uganda’s political landscape because of its timing and tone.
As Uganda inches closer to the 2026 general elections, many within the party have been calling for a generational shift but few have articulated it as sharply as Abigaba just did.
His post hints at a deeper identity crisis within the NRM, a party that once rode a wave of liberation now accused of growing stale, elite-driven and disconnected from the struggles of everyday Ugandans especially the youth.
Uganda’s youth, who make up over 75% of the population are increasingly disillusioned. Despite boasting about economic growth and infrastructural gains, unemployment remains high. For Abigaba, this is not just a governance issue, it’s a political emergency.
He accuses the NRM of lacking a strategic recruitment pipeline, failing to create jobs and abandoning the very youth whose support is needed for the party’s survival.
“Without job creation and youth inclusion, no party however historic can claim legitimacy in the future,” political analyst Angela Musimenta.
Abigaba’s comments come at a time when factions within the NRM are pushing for relevance. With President Museveni’s decades long grip on the party still intact, younger leaders like Duncan Abigaba, Balaam Barugahara and Phiona Nyamutoro are being watched closely as potential agents of a new NRM era.
His campaign for a seat on the NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC) appears to be more than just political ambition, it’s shaping up to be a test of how much reforms the old guard is willing to tolerate.
His critics may call it a publicity stunt but many see it as a necessary wake up call in a party that has grown too comfortable with its own power.
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