In a move that has sent shockwaves through the National Resistance Movement (NRM), Capt. Mike Mukula has officially withdrawn his candidacy for the position of National Vice Chairman for the Eastern Region, citing widespread electoral malpractice within the party’s ongoing internal campaigns.
In a strongly worded statement released today, Capt. Mukula, a veteran NRM leader and sitting Vice Chairman for the Eastern Region, declared that his decision was made after “careful reflection, sober consideration, and with a clear conscience.”
“The ongoing campaign process has, regrettably, been grossly compromised,” said Mukula. “The exercise has been marred by widespread corruption, open voter bribery, and the reckless expenditure of huge sums of money to influence delegates.”
Mukula, who has long been regarded as a key mobilizer in Eastern Uganda and a stalwart of the NRM, emphasized that his withdrawal was not a retreat but rather a principled stand against the “commercialization of politics” and the erosion of the party’s founding values.
“To participate under such circumstances would be to legitimize an illegality and to endorse practices that I fundamentally oppose,” he stated, adding that he chooses “principle over expediency, conscience over convenience, and integrity over position.”
Call for Party Reforms
Mukula’s departure from the race is not without a broader message. He has called upon the party’s top leadership — including NRM Chairman and President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the Central Executive Committee (CEC), and the NRM Electoral Commission — to take urgent action to address the systemic issues threatening the integrity of the party’s internal democracy.
“It is imperative that the NRM reclaims its moral authority by addressing these vices and initiating reforms that will safeguard our internal democracy,” Mukula asserted.
A Continued Commitment to Service
Despite stepping down from the race, Mukula reaffirmed his loyalty to the NRM and to President Museveni’s leadership. He expressed a continued commitment to the transformation of Eastern Uganda and national development.
“I remain steadfast in my commitment to the NRM, to the leadership of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, and to the continued transformation of Eastern Uganda and the nation at large.”
