On Thursday at Plot 10 Kyadondo Road in Nakasero, NRM launched its party registration process in an event that should have drawn its honchos in their droves.
General Yoweri Museveni is certainly old. At 79, he truly is. But there has been no ounce of indication that he has lost any touch.
The sight of President William Ruto of Kenya and his political nemesis Raila Odinga humbled before Museveni tells it all - if there is a touch the bush war godfather has lost, it can only be in his past life.
Yet the movements inside the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) would suggest that Gen Museveni has lost his grip on power, with his own ministers and party leadership showing divided allegiance.
Another rap: Yoweri Museveni is not going anywhere.On Thursday at Plot 10 Kyadondo Road in Nakasero, NRM launched its party registration process in an event that should have drawn its honchos in their droves.
But Chris Baryomunsi, the ICT minister and vice chairman for western, and the once effervescent chairperson of women's league Lydia Wanyoto were not present.
Vice chairman for Kampala Singh Katongole, vice chairman for central Godfrey Kiwanda, vice chairman for Karamoja Moses Aleper, and chairman youth league Gaddafi Nasur also kept away.
Also missing were Jim Muhwezi of the veterans league and PWDs chief Gabriel Kato, among others.
"The way things are moving is not right because there are so many roles of CEC which have been overrided," moaned Singh Katongole.
Last week, |Haruna Kasolo, the State minister for Microfinance, showed what divided loyalty can mean to be when he rallied Bukomansimbi residents to back Muhoozi Kainerugaba for 2026 election.
Muhoozi is President Museveni's son and a senior presidential advisor on special operations.
He declared his intentions to challenge for the highest office in the land in the "name of God" and has not been known to walk back on this even a section of NRM members insist his father will be on the ballot.
Earlier in February, Capt Mike Mukula showed up at the launch of Muhoozi's political group, the Patriotic League of Uganda, as a chief guest and walked back on his past tense where he had sworn Uganda would not be a "monarchy".
Mukula, a member of the NRM central executive committee and the party's vice-president for eastern Uganda, said "we will manage the transition very well" adding that Muhoozi was the "right answer".
Rewind back to 2021 and Kasolo and Mukula would have been instead been groveling at Museveni's feet.
But a lot has changed even as the public, like several party leaders, are lost at sea and wondering what is going on in NRM.
Patrick Wakida, executive director of Research World International, as just as lost as everyone else.
The pollster said he had ignored the so-called MK [Muhoozi] Project until recently when he started to pay attention. But he is still not sure what is going.
"When you see senior leaders of a party like National Resistance Movement not sure what to say, it causes a very serious debate within the country," he said.
Muhoozi is leading his own political grouping ahead of the 2026 vote.Katongole, who sounded frustrated over the manner with which the recent appointment of Parliamentary Commissioners was handled, says there is so much left to be desired.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
After the National Unity Platform dropped Mathias Mpuuga as the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, changes were expected in the backbench.
However, Solomon Silwany (Bukooli County ), Esther Afoyochan (Zombo District Woman), and Prossy Mbabazi Akampurira (Rubanda) were controversially retained.
"It was the chairman who approved them when CEC was supposed to vet and approve them," Katongole said.
He said CEC members were looking forward to a discussion with party chairman Museveni.
To add to the confusion, while the media reported that the President had convened the CEC meeting, Katongole was had not received any message.
The ruling party's top brass is also relying on the media to understand what is going on under their own roof.
