The Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) has warned National Resistance Movement (NRM) supporters against attempting to sabotage its activities, as the pressure group intensifies mobilisation for the 2031 presidential bid of its chairman, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
The warning was delivered by Jimmy Lwanga, former Njeru Municipality MP and PLU coordinator for Greater Mukono, on behalf of PLU Secretary General Fadil Twalla during the launch of a grassroots endorsement and registration exercise in Mukono Municipality.
Lwanga said attempts to frustrate PLU activities would fail, using the expression that those seeking to interfere with the organisation would “fall on a leopard that has a cub.” He also called on NRM supporters to embrace Kainerugaba’s presidential ambitions, saying PLU operates within the broader NRM political framework rather than as a separate political party.
“Everything PLU does has the President’s endorsement, and we therefore call upon members of NRM to also join in support of Gen. MK. I only warn you to come purified, leave behind all sorts of hatred which lead to making the party candidates at parliamentary and local levels lose elections,” Lwanga said.
PLU has described its current nationwide activity as an endorsement and mobilisation exercise for Kainerugaba ahead of the 2031 presidential election. The organisation has been distributing endorsement books through its structures across the country.
At the Mukono event, Lwanga praised President Yoweri Museveni for what he described as providing direction to the country and nurturing a younger generation of leaders. He said PLU had spent considerable time examining what its leaders consider to be factors weakening the NRM in different parts of the country, particularly in Buganda, citing internal conflicts, what he termed treachery and lack of seriousness.
Mukono District PLU coordinator Madinah Katushabe said the organisation had no conflict with the NRM and would pursue what she described as a transparent approach. Greater Mukono women’s coordinator Dr Daisy Sarah Nabatanzi said women from different political backgrounds were approaching her to register their support for Kainerugaba and pledged to intensify mobilisation among women.
Former State Minister for Water Ronald Kibuule offered another strong endorsement, describing Kainerugaba as a leader who had been prepared for national responsibility. “It is the right time for the General to offer light and a new direction for this country. I therefore strongly endorse him for the presidency and call upon the rest of Ugandans to show him the kind of support he deserves,” Kibuule said.
Kibuule also predicted a peaceful transfer of power from President Museveni. Mukono Resident District Commissioner Hajjati Fatumah Ndisaba Nabitaka, who attended the event, praised the turnout and the absence of demands for transport allowances, which she contrasted with some NRM gatherings.
“Today’s gathering is a serious signal that people indeed love the General. We also promise to work with him to develop our country,” Nabitaka said. She also commended PLU for conducting its mobilisation without distributing money, saying she believed the approach would strengthen the ruling party. The registration books being used by PLU resemble the traditional NRM yellow books, providing a familiar organisational format for supporters.
The Mukono exercise forms part of a wider PLU campaign launched earlier this month to collect endorsements for Kainerugaba’s 2031 presidential bid. The organisation has since rolled out the exercise among different groups and regions, including workers and political leaders. PLU leaders at the Mukono event repeatedly said the organisation’s activities were intended to reinforce rather than divide the NRM.
The event also highlighted the increasingly close relationship between PLU’s mobilisation structures and sections of the NRM, with speakers presenting support for Kainerugaba as part of what they described as a continuation of the political project associated with President Museveni-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
