Opinion: The Naked Truth About President Museveni’s 71% Tally | Hard Truth! 

By Jamil Kazibwe 

It is human nature for every Tom, Dick and Harry to scramble for credit after a successful mission. It is therefore unsurprising that, in the aftermath of the recent elections, several political actors, including some who objectively weakened the NRM campaign, are now eager to present themselves as the architects of the party’s resurgence.

But for any serious and honest observer, the explanation behind President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s commanding 71 percent victory is neither mysterious nor accidental. The defining shift in this campaign was a decisive break from the traditional top-down mobilisation model toward a deliberately structured, grassroots-driven strategy. In my considered view, this pivot was the true game changer.

For the first time in recent electoral history, the NRM discarded the conventional National Task Force model and instead embraced a structure-led mobilisation approach. This was not merely a tactical adjustment; it was revolutionary. The strategy fundamentally altered how the party engaged its base by devolving responsibility and ownership of the campaign to newly constituted party structures.

Implemented by the NRM Secretariat across all of Uganda’s more than 72,000 villages, this approach activated the party’s grassroots machinery at an unprecedented scale. Village-level political conversations were taking place almost simultaneously nationwide, fostering unity of purpose, renewed discipline, and collective energy within the NRM base. The result was a revitalised movement rather than a personality-driven campaign.

In previous elections, once the presidential candidate concluded a rally in a district, political momentum often dissipated. This time, however, the structures ensured continuity. Engagement, messaging, and mobilisation were sustained right up to polling day, keeping the base alert, motivated, and organised.

Admittedly, the strategy was not without challenges. Instances of poor resource management emerged in some areas. Nevertheless, the core objectives were largely achieved, and the gains significantly outweighed the setbacks.

Importantly, this grassroots strategy did not operate in isolation. It was reinforced by targeted interventions, including special operations spearheaded by Moses Byaruhanga, ONC initiatives under Hajjat Hadija Namyalo, focused ghetto outreach, and the visible impact of flagship NRM livelihood programmes. Above all, it was anchored by the unique appeal of President Museveni himself, whose brand remains firmly associated with peace, stability, continuity, and national progress.

In the end, Museveni’s 71 percent was not the product of chance, noise, or opportunistic self-promotion. It was the outcome of a deliberate structural rethink that reconnected the party with its base and restored ownership of the political process to the grassroots.