NRM calls on Ugandans to reflect on independence

7 October 2026, 9:44 am

By Ronald Ssemagonja

As Uganda prepares to celebrate its 64th Independence anniversary at State House in Entebbe on Friday, the Office of the National Chairman of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), through its manager, Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo, has called on Ugandans to celebrate the day while reflecting on the meaning of the country’s independence.

Namyalo said President Yoweri Museveni and his team found the country in a deeply difficult condition. She was addressing journalists yesterday in Kampala.

“Uganda attained political independence on 9th October 1962, but the painful reality is that independence did not immediately give Ugandans peace, security and stability. Instead, the country went through political crises, military coups, dictatorship and prolonged armed conflicts. We therefore have to ask ourselves: what would have become of Uganda if the vision of President Museveni and the NRM had not emerged?” she said.

She added that the NRM’s liberation struggle was a response to a Uganda that was becoming increasingly unstable and divided.

Namyalo said that when Museveni assumed leadership in 1986, he inherited a country deeply damaged by years of conflict and political turmoil.

“That is why we say that 1962 gave Uganda political independence, but the NRM under President Museveni gave that independence a stronger foundation of peace, stability and national reconstruction. Today, Ugandans can debate, criticise government and participate in politics because the country has created a political environment in which that freedom can be exercised,” Namyalo added.

The senior presidential advisor continued to state that Ugandans may disagree politically, but they must not forget where Uganda came from.

“Let’s not rape the country, leaving Ugandans bleeding in fear. We have gains to protect. Let us celebrate independence with a clear mind, peaceful thoughts and the stability that have enabled our independence to become meaningful. As we move forward, let us remember: the road favours the travellers, but the river welcomes the fugitive, and that humbleness cools the hot soup,” she concluded.