Museveni to sit out NTV debate

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) has confirmed that its Presidential Candidate, President Yoweri Museveni, will not be participating in the televised debate scheduled to be hosted by NTV Uganda this coming Sunday. 

The decision means the incumbent will miss the chance for direct public discourse just months ahead of the 2026 general election, leaving the stage open for opposition candidates including NUP’s Bobi Wine who has confirmed attendance.

In a statement posted last night, the NRM officially rebutted the suggestion that the President would attend the event, scheduled for 8:00 PM on Sunday, 30th November 2025. 

The party cited administrative and scheduling conflicts as the primary rationale.

“Our attention has been drawn to an advert circulating on social media from @ntvuganda, purporting to organise a Presidential Debate... For the record, the NRM only received the invitation on 21st November 2025, long after the @UgandaEC had approved the candidates’ campaign programme,” the NRM statement read. 

“Such a debate was neither brought to the prior consideration of the candidates nor included in the EC-approved programme. Our Presidential Candidate is therefore not preparing to participate in any such debate.”

The withdrawal follows confirmation from opposition leader Bobi Wine, whose attendance announcement ramped up public anticipation. Wine had pledged to be there to “challenge Dictator Museveni on whatever new lies he wants to tell the people of Uganda.”

However, beneath the official justification of scheduling conflicts lies the backdrop of strained relations between the President and Nation Media Group (NMG), NTV’s parent company. 

For months, NMG journalists have reportedly been barred from covering the President’s public events, a ban allegedly imposed by Mr Museveni over a series of unfavourable stories published by the media house concerning him and his development initiatives. 

This long-standing tension lends credence to speculation that the President’s refusal to participate is rooted in deeper political grievances with the broadcaster.

Furthermore, the President has historically expressed displeasure with the format of such debates, famously complaining about the short time allocated to candidates during the country’s first-ever televised presidential debate in January 2016. 

His refusal to engage with NTV means the second televised national debate in Uganda’s history will proceed without the central figure of the ruling party, potentially denying him crucial airtime and subjecting him to further scrutiny for avoiding a direct platform.