“Just Dump Museveni & Join Opposition, You Deserve Better, Stop Crying For Spoilt Milk” Lawyer Bireete Tells Rebecca Kadaga to Move On Amid Fierce NRM Contest

As the National Resistance Movement (NRM) National Delegates’ Conference convenes this week, former Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga is fighting to retain her position as 2nd National Vice Chairperson (Female). Her main challenger is current Speaker Anita Among, whose rapid rise and strong mobilization efforts have made her a formidable contender.

The showdown follows a stormy National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at State House chaired by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. At the session, Kadaga questioned why the party’s requirement that candidates must have served actively for at least ten years was seemingly relaxed in favor of Among, who has been in the NRM for just three years. She reminded delegates of her long record in the movement—serving as RC1 and RC2, participating in the National Resistance Council, and helping draft Uganda’s 1995 Constitution in the Constituent Assembly.

Still, political observers say Kadaga faces an uphill battle. Among has consolidated support within the party, presenting herself as a face of generational renewal. She has also drawn strength from her role in rallying over ten former opposition MPs into the NRM, a move that has boosted her credentials as a mobilizer and injected fresh energy into her campaign.

Kadaga’s difficulties have drawn commentary from outside the party as well. Lawyer and activist Sarah Bireete recently urged her to leave the NRM altogether, arguing that Kadaga and other long-serving leaders helped entrench a system that now sidelines them.

“The problem with the likes of Kadaga is that they bred a kind of leadership that eventually chokes them out of their seats. Madam Kadaga, join others in the quest for change. Uganda deserves better,” Bireete said.

Critics also point to Kadaga’s own political legacy. Over her three decades in Parliament, she served as Deputy Speaker when MPs scrapped presidential term limits in 2005 and presided as Speaker when age limits were lifted in 2017—decisions that paved the way for Museveni’s extended rule. Many argue that these choices helped create the very system that now threatens her political future.

As delegates prepare to cast their votes at Kololo on Wednesday and Thursday, the Kadaga–Among contest is shaping up as one of the most closely watched battles in recent NRM history. Kadaga embodies the party’s old guard and decades of loyalty, while Among represents new energy, wider mobilization, and a generational shift.

The outcome will not only decide who becomes 2nd Vice Chairperson (Female) but could also signal the broader direction the NRM will take as it heads toward the 2026 general elections.