In any serious political movement, the debate about leadership renewal is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of maturity. For us in the NRM, the conversation about leadership change is not about creating divisions or disrespecting our history. It is about preparing for the future.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has led the National Resistance Movement for four decades. He took a country that was broken and gave it stability, restored the rule of law and laid a foundation for development. History will judge him kindly for that. But as the Greek philosopher Aristotle reminded us, _”He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander.”_ A true commander prepares those who will command after him. That is the true test of leadership.
Every great movement must prepare for its next generation. This is not betrayal; it is continuity.
If we are to have Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba lead the NRM into 2030 and beyond, we need a leadership that is ready for that generational transition. You cannot drive a new Uganda with an old engine. The MK 2030 project is not just about a personality; it is about a generational shift in ideas, energy and organisation.
As Italian political thinker Niccolo Machiavelli wrote in _The Prince_, _”He who does not prepare for the future will find that the future never comes.”_ If we are serious about 2030, we must prepare the party structure, from the village to the National Executive Committee, for that future today.
Why the Change is Inevitable
First, Uganda itself has changed. Over 78% of our population is under the age of 35. This is a digital generation. They were not born during the Bush War. They do not respond to historical narratives alone; they want jobs, start-up capital, innovation, affordable internet, and leaders who understand the language of technology and the creative economy.
The German philosopher Karl Marx noted that _”Men make their own history, but not under circumstances of their own choosing.”_ The circumstance today is a youthful Uganda that demands new ideas and opportunities. The NRM must evolve to meet that reality, or it risks becoming irrelevant to the majority.
Second, renewal is the law of political survival. As Plato said, _”One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”_ If the NRM does not open space for younger, competent cadres, the youth will seek leadership elsewhere.
Lessons From Africa and the Western World
History is full of examples.
In South Africa, the ANC understood this. From Mandela to Mbeki to Zuma to Ramaphosa, despite its challenges, the ANC institutionalized generational transition to keep the liberation movement alive. Where liberation movements failed to renew, like ZANU-PF in Zimbabwe under the late Robert Mugabe, they faced internal implosion and economic isolation until a generational intervention was forced.
In Tanzania, CCM has remained the strongest party in Africa because it embraces renewal. From Nyerere to Mwinyi to Mkapa to Kikwete to Magufuli to Samia Suluhu Hassan, CCM has managed to present a new face to each generation while protecting its core ideology.
Look to the Western world as well. In the United States, the Democratic Party had to move from the old guard to a new generation under Barack Obama in 2008 and is now again grappling with generational change to appeal to Millennials and Gen Z. In the United Kingdom, the Labour Party only became electable again when it renewed itself from the old left under Jeremy Corbyn to a younger, centrist appeal under Keir Starmer. In France, Emmanuel Macron created an entirely new movement because the traditional parties of the left and right refused to renew themselves.
As African philosopher Frantz Fanon warned, _”Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it.”_ Our generation’s mission in the NRM is to ensure a smooth, peaceful and ideological transition that preserves stability while unlocking opportunity.
Therefore, NRM must deliberately embrace renewal. We must bring in younger leaders at district and national levels, empower youth leagues not just as mobilisers but as decision-makers, and prepare for a smooth transition.
Let us be clear: Supporting MK 2030 means supporting the idea of renewal. You cannot say you support a generational leader and defend a gerontocratic structure. The two contradict each other.
As John Stuart Mill argued, progress is only possible when a society allows new ideas to challenge old ones. Let us allow the new ideas to breathe within the NRM.
If we are serious about MK 2030, then the conversation about leadership change must start now, not in 2029. Let us prepare the NRM not just to win the next election, but to lead the next Uganda.
For God and My Country.
Buregeya Rodgers is the NRM Chairman, Masaka City
