Preparations underway for official PLU launch in Pader

19 October 2026, 1:08 pm

By Geoffrey Okwong

Preparations are underway for the official launch of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) in Pader District, scheduled for 30 October 2026 at Mayor’s Garden in Pader Town Council.

Christopher Komakech, the Member of Parliament for Aruu County and PLU district coordinator for Pader, announced the forthcoming event during a meeting attended by PLU sub-county coordinators and members of the media at Sky Lounge in Pader Town Council.

Komakech said the event would be attended by Hon. David Kabanda, the national coordinator in the Chairman’s Office of PLU, and Hon. Michael Mawanda, the organisation’s national mobiliser, alongside other invited guests.

The event is scheduled to begin at 10.00 am and will feature music, dance and performances by local artists.

Komakech said the gathering would demonstrate support for Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), as a potential successor to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in the 2031 presidential election.

He praised Gen. Muhoozi’s military leadership, citing his role in security operations in northern Uganda and Somalia. He argued that his experience could contribute to the country’s future leadership.

Komakech acknowledged that Gen. Muhoozi had not declared his intention to contest the presidency but said PLU supporters believed he could lead the country after Museveni leaves office.

PLU leaders call for collective engagement

Speaking at the same meeting, C. Ray Okwir, representing PLU elders in Pader District, described the planned event as the beginning of a broader undertaking, emphasising the need for collective participation in the country’s development.

Okwir said PLU leaders would continue engaging different stakeholders and involving communities in their activities.

On Gen. Muhoozi’s possible presidential bid in 2031, Okwir said calls for him to contest were not driven by an individual but reflected what he described as the voices of many Ugandans supporting his potential candidacy.

He added that PLU members were still working with the National Resistance Movement (NRM), saying the two organisations remained together as they awaited what he described as the right time for a political transition.

Meanwhile, Bosco Oling, the NRM chairperson for Pader Town Council, said more than 40 members of the NRM District Executive Committee were aware of the planned PLU event.

Oling added that NRM executive members at sub-county level had also been informed about the gathering, which he described as significant for the area.

He called on residents of Pader Town Council to attend the event on 30 October, noting that the town council would host the gathering.

Oling urged community members to turn up at Mayor’s Garden to witness the occasion, which he described as historic for Pader.

The launch is expected to bring together PLU national leaders, district and sub-county coordinators, political leaders, supporters, local artists and other invited guests.

The event will mark an important public gathering for PLU in Pader as its leaders seek to strengthen the organisation’s presence in the Acholi sub-region.