When History Speaks: The Story Behind Prof. Balunywa’s Appointment to the NRM CEC

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda reported that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has appointed Prof. Juma Waiswa Balunywa to the National Resistance Movement’s Central Executive Committee, presenting the move as rooted in a long political and personal history between Museveni and families in Busoga. The article describes the appointment as a recognition of loyalty, public service and longstanding ties to the ruling party’s political project.

According to the publisher, the relationship dates back to earlier phases of Uganda’s political mobilisation, when Museveni built links with influential Busoga figures and families, including those of Balunywa, the late Kirunda Kivejinja and the late Salim Wandira. The article also invokes Kivejinja’s writings on leadership, national purpose and institutional confidence to frame Balunywa’s appointment as part of a broader legacy of ideological commitment within the NRM.

The report highlights Balunywa’s background as an academic and institution builder, saying he played a major role in developing Makerere University Business School and mentoring professionals, entrepreneurs and leaders. It argues that his inclusion in the CEC adds experience and intellectual depth to the party’s top structure, while also carrying symbolic importance for Busoga and for NRM supporters who value continuity and loyalty.

For context, the NRM Central Executive Committee is one of the ruling party’s most influential organs, involved in senior political direction and internal party decisions. Watchdog Uganda’s article is written in a strongly supportive tone, including congratulations to Balunywa and thanks to Museveni, so its interpretation of the appointment should be read as commentary rather than independent analysis of the decision’s political implications.