'There is practically no opposition in Uganda' - Museveni

President Yoweri Museveni has said Uganda currently has almost no viable opposition, arguing that the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) enjoys overwhelming public support.

“Otherwise, there is practically no opposition in Uganda. The pro- People record of the NRM in Uganda, does not allow a credible, truthful opposition to thrive,” Museveni said in a statement shared on X.

In a message to Ugandans, the President cited party membership figures to support his claim.

“Indeed, our registered members as of the 6th of May, 2025, were 21 million where those old enough to vote were 18.5 million. All the registered voters in Uganda were 21 million. If all the NRM turned up to vote, our vote would be 18.5 million and the opposition would remain with 2.5 million. This means 88% support for the NRM,” he said.

Museveni acknowledged that some national challenges remain but insisted they would not weaken the ruling party’s dominance.

“That is the real balance of forces in the country as per now, even with the unaddressed mass issues of UPE, Corruption, bad feeder roads, problems of drugs in the health centres, etc. Once those are addressed according to my guidance and our collective decisions, there will be no opposition in Uganda,” he added.

The President partly blamed political divisions on the failure to fully implement pro-poor programmes such as Entandikwa and Universal Primary Education (UPE). He said poor supervision by what he called “Najja-kulya political actors (I came to eat)” slowed progress.

“Ever since the introduction of the mass-oriented programmes of entandikwa and UPE, we have never relented inspite of the poor supervision by Najja-kulya political actors,” he said.

Museveni pointed to government wealth creation initiatives including NAADS, Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), Emyooga, the Youth Fund and the Women Fund as drivers of economic growth.

“Those programmes had done very well for the country. That is why the production in the country is now very high,” he said, listing increases in coffee, milk, maize, bananas and livestock output since 1986.

He noted that by 2019, about 61% of Ugandan homesteads had joined the money economy, although 39% were still engaged in subsistence production.

The President also defended the Parish Development Model (PDM), saying it allows communities to choose beneficiaries directly instead of relying on state agents.

“My political and pro-mass radar, told me that if the people in the Parish could form a mass SACCO of all the adults in the Parish and elect their own committee that would prioritize the list of the recipients, it would be much better. Where it has been done well, the People are very happy,” he said.

Museveni further credited government programmes and infrastructure investments for stabilising regions such as northern Uganda, Karamoja and parts of the North-West.

“With the North, the North-West and Karamoja, it is peace (Kuc), infrastructure (tarmac roads, water, schools, health centres, etc.) and PDM,” he said, adding that elders often remind critics of past shortages by saying: “Temumanyi Movement gyeyatujja” – “You do not know where the Movement got us from!”

However, the President urged leaders to remain connected to citizens and address service delivery gaps to sustain public trust.

“All said and done, I call upon Ugandans to abandon any bad behaviour and act fairly to all, even opposition. You should work for principled reconciliation – not just opportunistic patching up. Talk about the mistakes observed and resolve them for a better future,” Museveni said.