President Museveni welcomed youth who defected from Opposition Political parties
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni yesterday officially welcomed 191 youth who recently crossed from opposition political parties to the National Resistance Movement (NRM). The converts from the districts of Mubende, Kassanda, and Mityana have been undergoing a two-week ideological training at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi.
The 2025/2026 cohort of youth converts comprised 145 males and 46 females.
They were introduced to the principles of the NRM, its ideology, and other patriotic values.
During a meeting held at State House Entebbe, the President commended the youth for making what he called a wise and courageous decision. Museveni also pledged Shs 100m to support their SACCO as a token of encouragement and empowerment.
He also lauded the converts for abandoning political factions that, according to him, have long misled the youth and discouraged them from engaging in government programs meant to fight poverty and foster economic transformation. “Those opposition groups are merciless. They use you for foreign-funded agendas and then tell you to shun government programs,” Museveni said.
“When we were giving out coffee seedlings under Operation Wealth Creation, they said the seedlings wouldn’t help them, but you have made the right choice, and I congratulate and welcome you.”
Museveni further drew on his political journey, sharing that he too was once an opposition supporter.
“I was in the Democratic Party from 1960 to 1970. Even though UPC rigged the elections in 1962, I told my fellow DP supporters, Obote may have stolen votes, but he didn’t steal your food. We had to be smart and take full advantage of the government’s programs,” he said.
He commended the youth instructors for equipping the converts with a strong understanding of NRM’s core principles, particularly the third mission: socio-economic transformation. “I am happy that your instructors taught you the mission of socio-economic transformation. As Africans, we must move from subsistence living to the money economy,” he said. The President illustrated how daily life for most Africans still relies on outdated practices that need urgent modernization.
“In developed countries, machines fetch water. Here, our girls still carry jerrycans on their heads. We cook with firewood while others use gas or electricity. That’s what the NRM seeks to change,” he said. The President also emphasized education as a key driver of transformation, highlighting the role of the government’s Universal Primary and Secondary Education programs as well as the Presidential Skilling Hubs.
“The skilling hub in Kassanda is proof that youth can access quality training for free. If we fully embrace free education, it will play a major role in changing lives. Fish farming, for instance, can bring in up to Shs 80 million a year from one acre of ponds,” Museveni said.
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