The National Resistance Movement (NRM) has dismissed reports suggesting that its presidential candidate, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni will take part in a televised presidential debate scheduled for Sunday 30th and organised by NTV Uganda. 

The party was scheduled on Thursday, November 27, 2025, after an advert circulated on social media listing Museveni among the expected participants.

In the statement, the NRM said it only received the invitation on 21 November 2025, by which time the Electoral Commission had already approved and released the official campaign programme.

The party argued that the debate was never presented for prior consultation with candidates and was not included anywhere in the EC-sanctioned schedule.

“Our attention has been drawn to an advert circulating on social media purporting to organise a Presidential Debate and suggesting that the NRM Presidential Candidate will take part,” the party noted.

The party added,“Such a debate was neither brought to the prior consideration of the candidates nor included in the EC-approved programme.”

The NRM further clarified that its candidate would not prepare for or participate in a debate that does not form part of the official campaign roadmap. 

“Our Presidential Candidate is therefore not preparing to participate in any such debate,” the statement read.

Despite the NRM’s withdrawal, the televised debate is expected to feature all the other seven approved presidential candidates. These include Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine, who has already confirmed his attendance; Nathan Nandala Mafabi of the Forum for Democratic Change; Gen. Mugisha Muntu of the Alliance for National Transformation; Joseph Mabirizi of the Conservative Party; Robert Kasibante of the National Peasants Party; Mubarak Munyagwa of the Common Man’s Party; and Frank Bulira of the Revolutionary People’s Party.

Campaign activities across the country remain intense. Bobi Wine is today heading to Jinja, where large crowds are expected as he continues his mobilisation drive in Busoga sub-region. 

President Museveni, meanwhile, is campaigning in Kiruhura, a district central to the NRM’s historical support base. His messages in the region have focused on stability, economic growth, and the party’s long-term development record. He has also been reinforcing the need to protect the gains made over the years.

Other candidates are similarly crisscrossing the country with their messages of reform, accountability and transformation. 

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Leaders of the National Unity Platform (NUP) have come out to condemn the alleged shooting of one of their supporters in both legs as the party’s Presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu alias Bobi Wine campaigns in Kayunga District.

The Party Spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi, in a post via his X account (formerly Twitter), condemned the alleged shooting of yet to be yet-to-be-identified middle-aged man as he waved to Bobi Wine.

“This middle-aged man has been shot in both legs at Bukoloto-Kayunga. He was standing at a distance, waving at our Presidential Candidate as we headed to our first rally in Kayunga. This madness is at another level altogether!!” Ssenyonyi posted.

The NUP Principal Bobi Wine while critiquing the incident alleged that Police has been using live ammunitions and teargas to disperse his supporters in Kayunga district.

“The shameless criminals in security uniform have began their usual barbaric behavior. They are using live ammunition and tear gas to try to demobilize us. They have shamelessly injured this innocent civilian whose sole crime is none other than supporting us. For how long shall these shameless people brutalize and provoke us?” he posted.

The police and sister security agencies have in the past weeks of the electoral campaigns intensified operations against supporters of the National Unity Platform in different parts of the country.

By the time of this publication, the police had not yet reported the incident in Kayunga District.

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The Buganda Kingdom Prime Minister Charles Peter Mayiga has condemned the continued Police Brutality on supporters of opposition candidate supporters in the ongoing election campaigns.

Premier Mayiga in a post on his X account on Thursday urged the security agencies to be nonpartisan as they carry out their work and called for a review of the Police ban on processions during the campaigns.

“Once again, I urge police/ security agencies to keep law and order in a non-violent and non-partisan manner during this campaign period” he said.

He added, “”It’s unrealistic to ban processions of supporters. Political rallies are not prayer meetings to which worshippers go calmly. Political rallies are about excitement. And with Uganda’s public transport (boda boda) it’s unrealistic to expect supporters to move to campaign venues quietly. Ensure supporters don’t harm others, but let them be”.

Mayiga further urged the security personnel to think about the country’s image as they unleash terror on opposition on supporters.

“Bullets; tear gas; dogs! These make the Pearl of Africa bleed! CPM” he said.

Premier Mayiga’s warning comes on a growing condemnation of the police’s actions by a large section of the public including human rights activists and the Uganda Law Society (ULS).

The ULS Vice President Asiimwe Anthony condemned the unleashing of dogs, use of tear gas, violent dispersals and forceful arrests of civilians on National Unity Platform UNUP) supporters in Kawempe on Monday as a crowd control measure by security forces.

“Historically, police dog deployment during public protests carries a deeply oppressive legacy. During apartheid, South African police developed a “terrifying police-dog regime” as a tool of the White supremacists to enforce racial segregation and suppress resistance from Black populations.

During the U.S. Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, police unleashed dogs on peaceful demonstrators including children and many sustained injuries. These canine attacks were not accidental, they were symbolic demonstrations of state power intended to instill terror, suppress dissent, dehumanize and humiliate Black communities” he said.

Asiimwe noted that the deployment of police dogs in political rallies today reflects a continuity with colonial and apartheid-era practices in which animals are weaponised to instill fear and enforce authoritarian control.

“ULS therefore calls for an immediate and unconditional halt to the use of police dogs in any political rally or campaign. The immediate release of all innocent civilians arrested arbitrarily in Kawempe during the campaign events. Compliance with constitutional policing standards that respect human dignity and uphold the rights of all Ugandans regardless of their political affiliation” he said.

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The Electoral Commission has confirmed that the printing of ballot papers for the 2026 General Elections is in full gear, with all materials for the Presidential and Parliamentary races currently being produced in Dubai. 

According to the Commission, the process is running efficiently and on schedule as preparations intensify ahead of next year’s polls.

Speaking during an update on the nomination and election roadmap, Electoral Commission Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama said the Commission is determined to deliver a transparent and credible election. He also addressed concerns arising from the nomination exercise, which attracted more than 83,597 candidates vying for 45,505 elective positions across the country.

Justice Byabakama revealed that the Commission received about 300 petitions and complaints after nominations. He stressed that every matter was assessed objectively and handled within the law.

“We reviewed and determined each petition based on the law, the Commission’s constitutional mandate, and the evidence and merit of each case,” he said.

He downplayed public concerns about the volume of petitions, noting that they represent only a small proportion of the total number of candidates.

“I would like to state that while the number of 300 may appear high, taken out of the total number of over 83,597 nominated candidates for the 45,505 elective positions, it becomes clear that the majority of the nominations were undertaken and concluded without any incidents,” he explained.

Justice Byabakama assured the public that the Commission remains committed to fairness, impartiality and timely resolution of all issues ahead of voting day. He emphasized that the stability seen during the nomination phase was an important foundation for the next stages of the electoral process.

The Commission has contracted several reputable international and local firms to print ballot papers for the different elective positions. The Dubai-based Al Ghurair Printing & Publishing LLC is handling the production of ballot papers for the Presidential race, directly-elected Members of Parliament, District Woman MPs, District and City Chairpersons, directly-elected City Councillors, and Woman Councillors at district and city levels. The Commission said printing in Dubai is progressing smoothly under strict supervision.

The Commission is also partnering with other global firms to print ballots for different elective positions. UniPrint South Africa in Durban is producing ballot papers for Sub-county, Town, and Municipal Division Chairpersons. Inform Lykos Hellas in Athens, Greece, is printing ballot papers for Sub-county, Town, and Municipal Division directly elected Councillors and Women Councillors. Additionally, Sintel Security in Nairobi, Kenya, is handling the production of ballot papers for Special Interest Groups across Districts, Cities, Municipalities, Sub-counties, Town Councils, Municipal Divisions, and Local Governments. 

In Uganda, Picfare Industries Ltd in Kampala is printing ballot papers for Municipality and City Division Chairpersons and Woman Councillors, while Graphics Systems Ltd, also based in Kampala, is producing the ballots for Municipality and City Division directly elected Councillors.

Justice Byabakama encouraged political parties participating in the Presidential race to submit the names of their official agents who will be accredited to witness the delivery of the ballot boxes from Dubai. He explained that parties are expected to observe the arrival of ballot papers printed outside the country at the airport, while those printed locally will be delivered directly to the Commission’s warehouses.

The Electoral Commission says these measures are aimed at reinforcing transparency and confidence in the electoral process as the country moves steadily toward the 2026 General Elections.

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