Busia — With Kenya's next General Election scheduled for August 10, 2027, Uganda's ruling NRM party has warned its leaders and residents in border communities against involving themselves in Kenyan politics, saying political tensions could disrupt cross-border trade and relations between communities.
NRM national treasurer Barbra Nekesa Oundo made the call to party leaders in Busia District, which sits on one of Uganda's busiest borders with Kenya and whose economy is closely linked to the movement of people and goods between the two countries.
Nekesa was speaking during an economic mobilisation meeting at Masafu Town Council, where she urged NRM leaders to concentrate on mobilising households to create wealth rather than participate in political activities across the border.
She said peace along the Uganda-Kenya border was important not only for the two neighbouring communities but also for trade and wider East African integration.
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Nekesa cautioned residents against allowing political activities in Kenya to affect relations between Ugandans and their Kenyan neighbours.
Nekesa said President Yoweri Museveni's emphasis on Pan-Africanism and regional integration requires peaceful relations among neighbouring countries and communities.
Her remarks come as Kenya prepares for the 2027 General Election, with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) scheduling the poll for August 10, 2027. The election will be the fourth General Election held under Kenya's 2010 Constitution.
Busia's position along the border gives the warning a particular economic significance. Thousands of people and businesses depend on cross-border movement, while the border links traders and families with communities in western Kenya.
Busia District NRM chairman Isaac Muwanguzi said some residents in the border area are believed to possess national identification documents from both Uganda and Kenya.
He urged party leaders to discourage residents from becoming involved in political campaigns across the border and instead focus on improving household incomes.
For some residents, however, the close social ties across the border make separating political activity from family and community relationships difficult.
Polycarp Wandera, the NRM chairperson for Muganiro Village, said he had previously considered campaigning in Busia, Kenya, for a candidate supported by relatives there.
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He said the message had instead encouraged him to focus on wealth creation within his own community.
Godfrey Ouma said the close relationship between communities on either side of the border makes it difficult to prevent people from crossing into Kenya, but agreed that residents should be encouraged to concentrate on economic activities at home.
The NRM leaders said maintaining peaceful relations along the border is important for protecting the movement of people, goods and businesses that sustain communities on both sides.
For Busia residents, the message therefore extends beyond the 2027 Kenyan election: it is also about ensuring that political competition in one country does not disrupt the economic and social links that connect communities across the Uganda-Kenya border.
