Katongole Warns NRM Risks Being Overshadowed By PLU

What the report says

Former NRM Kampala Region vice-chairperson Singh Katongole has warned that the ruling party could lose public visibility as the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) expands its grassroots mobilisation and gathers endorsements linked to Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s possible 2031 presidential bid. Nile Post reports that Katongole made the remarks on NBS Television’s Morning Breeze, where he said the NRM appeared less active after the election cycle while PLU was becoming the more visible political platform.

According to the report, Katongole urged President Yoweri Museveni to clarify the relationship between the NRM and PLU, and to explain the party’s future direction. He said uncertainty about succession was worrying members, especially as PLU supporters continue to rally around Kainerugaba, who is also the Chief of Defence Forces. Katongole argued that PLU was originally meant to complement the NRM rather than compete with it for attention.

The article says PLU has been building structures in different parts of the country and has drawn endorsements from some supporters and political figures. It also notes that PLU spokesperson Andrew Mwenda has said the group remains a civic organisation, pressure group and social movement operating within the NRM framework, not a separate party. Separately, the NRM secretariat has said it has been working on internal mobilisation and planning after the 2026 elections.

The exchange highlights a broader question in Uganda’s ruling establishment: how the NRM manages rising activity around a possible Museveni successor while keeping its own structures visible and relevant ahead of the 2031 contest.