The Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) turned tense on Saturday as First Deputy Prime Minister Rebecca Kadaga delivered a fiery speech challenging Speaker of Parliament Anita Among’s bid for the position of First Vice Chairperson (Female).
Kadaga, visibly animated, accused the party leadership of “ignoring loyalty and long-term service” in favor of newcomers. “I have been a member of this party since its inception. My journey began in 1989 as Chairperson of RC1 in my village in Bunambutye, then to RC2, and later to the National Resistance Council. I have never belonged to any other political party. All my life, my commitment has been to the NRM,” she declared, drawing loud applause from sections of the delegates.
The meeting room reportedly grew silent when Kadaga directly questioned Among’s short time in the Movement.
“Our party guidelines are very clear. When one seeks office, they must show what they have done for the Movement in the last ten years. Those rules have not changed. Yet the person now aspiring to this office—Rt. Hon. Annet Anita Among—has served in the NRM for only three years.”
Slamming what she called “impatience at the top,” Kadaga said: “I myself served seven years as a backbencher before becoming Minister of Regional Cooperation. I exercised patience and respect for the structures of the party. Why then should someone who has barely served three years rush to the top of the Movement?”
Raising her voice, the former Speaker outlined her record: “I have supported this party in all ways. As Deputy Speaker, I ensured that budgets were passed. I defended the interests of our people, and I stood with the NRM line. I marketed this country abroad. I am now serving as First Deputy Prime Minister, advancing regional integration.”
At one point, Kadaga reminded the committee of her past struggles. “Just a few years ago I was publicly humiliated, yet I endured that pain quietly and continued to serve the party. I took my people with me, and they remained loyal to the NRM.”
But her most pointed warning was that a contest could spark unrest. “I have warned that if this matter goes to contest, it will cause serious problems in my community. People will think the party is fighting me, not simply engaging in competition. That is not healthy for the politics of Uganda.”
Her speech grew even sharper when she turned to the issue of power concentration. “This office of First Vice Chairperson was created in 2005 after lobbying by party members, not for personal convenience. Suppose I were a man holding the position of Speaker—would I also come to take the seat of First Vice Chairperson? Would we allow one person to sit in two high offices? It is unfair and unhealthy for the Movement to concentrate such power in one person.”
As murmurs spread across the room, Kadaga thundered: “Your Excellency, I am the most senior female leader in this party. How can the senior be asked to step aside for the junior? What kind of precedent are we setting?”
She ended with a challenge to the NRM’s identity: “This is not just about me. It is about the values of the NRM—commitment, loyalty, patience, and respect for structures. If those values are ignored, then what message are we sending to the membership and to the country?”
The heated exchanges underscored growing divisions within the ruling party as Kadaga and Among face off in one of the most closely watched CEC battles in years.
