By Brian Mugenyi
KAMPALA — The National Resistance Movement (NRM) leadership in Masaka City has openly declared war on university politics, with city party chairman Rogers Bulegeya vowing to mobilise resources and machinery to ensure NRM-leaning candidates dominate upcoming guild elections.
In a hardline stance that signals renewed grassroots mobilisation, Bulegeya said the ruling party must rebuild its influence starting from institutions of higher learning—targeting guild presidents, vice presidents, and key student leadership positions.
“The NRM must win in all leadership spaces. We must begin with students, and I assure you, as an office, we shall fully support them,” Bulegeya told Watchdog Uganda in an interview.
The youthful chairman revealed that the party leadership in Masaka has resolved to back its preferred candidates with both financial and logistical support—raising fresh questions about the growing politicisation of campus elections.
Bulegeya argued that the NRM government, under Yoweri Museveni, has consistently invested in higher education, citing the establishment and support of institutions such as Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Busitema University, and Muteesa I Royal University.
He also pointed to bursary schemes and government sponsorship programs as evidence of the party’s commitment to empowering students.
“These are clear indicators that President Museveni and the NRM value education. We must now translate that support into leadership at university level,” he said.
Masaka City hosts several universities, including Kampala University, Uganda Martyrs University, and Muteesa I Royal University—institutions that have historically produced politically active graduates.
According to Bulegeya, nurturing NRM-aligned leaders at campus level is critical for the party’s long-term survival, describing universities as “breeding grounds” for future national leadership.
“Many leaders you see in Parliament and within the NRM started from guild leadership. That foundation is important,” he noted.
Bulegeya, who is himself pursuing a degree in public administration at Kampala University, urged students to rally behind NRM candidates, framing the move as both ideological alignment and strategic positioning.
The development comes amid concerns over increasing political interference in student governance, with critics warning that heavy-handed party involvement could undermine the independence of campus democratic processes.
Masaka City, with a population estimated at nearly one million, remains a politically contested region. In the last general election, President Museveni secured about 38% of the vote—a performance that analysts say the NRM is keen to improve by tightening its grip on youth and student constituencies.
With university elections fast approaching, Bulegeya’s declaration sets the stage for a high-stakes political contest—one that could redefine the balance of power not just on campus, but in the broader Masaka political landscape.
