Time To Give Credit Where It Is Due

In recent weeks, newly elected Masaka City Woman MP Justine Nameere has repeatedly claimed significant personal credit for President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s improved performance in Masaka City during the 2026 general elections.

While every contribution to the National Resistance Movement (NRM) campaign effort deserves recognition, the narrative risks becoming overly personalised at the expense of a broader and more balanced political reality. It is therefore important to place the developments in proper perspective.

President Museveni did not merely hold ground in 2026 — he registered a commanding national victory of 71.65%, securing re-election with nearly 8 million votes. More importantly, he recorded a notable recovery across the Buganda region, where the National Unity Platform (NUP) had strongly dominated in 2021.

This recovery did not happen by accident. It was the result of sustained government programmes, strategic mobilisation, and continuous oversight of wealth-creation initiatives such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga.

Across Greater Masaka, Kassanda, Mubende, Kyankwanzi, Kiboga, Buvuma, Nakaseke, and parts of the cattle corridor, the NRM registered measurable improvements. Several areas that had tilted toward the opposition in 2021 recorded rebounds in parliamentary, district, and local government contests. Even in Wakiso and sections of Kampala, the ruling party posted visible gains compared to previous performance.

In Masaka City itself, Museveni’s numbers improved significantly — rising from approximately 22% in 2021 to an estimated 38–40% in 2026. That is a substantial improvement in a traditionally difficult urban opposition stronghold and deserves acknowledgment.

However, the broader political picture must also be honestly appreciated. The President did not cross the 50% threshold in the city. The NRM lost both division chairperson positions and the mayoral race, while NUP maintained dominance in the urban core, consistent with wider political trends across Buganda’s metropolitan centres.

Masaka City therefore remains a competitive political battleground rather than a fully reclaimed NRM stronghold.

At times, the claims being advanced by Nameere create the impression that the NRM overwhelmingly dominated the constituency, yet the electoral realities suggest there is still significant political work ahead. Instead of overstating individual contribution, the focus should perhaps shift toward learning from the President’s broader regional recovery strategy and identifying how the remaining urban resistance can be addressed.

No single MP, regardless of visibility or energy, can independently transform presidential voting patterns in a national election shaped by wider economic, political, organisational, and social factors.

Attributing disproportionate credit to individual actors risks downplaying the collective influence of national policy implementation, party structures, mobilisation teams, ministers, local leaders, and the cumulative impact of government programmes over time.

In Ugandan politics, sustainable leadership often depends on understanding the balance between individual effort and institutional contribution. President Museveni’s long political career has largely been built around strategy, structure, ideological consistency, and programme delivery rather than personalised political narratives.

As the 12th Parliament begins its work, restraint and realism in political messaging remain important. The greater focus should be on consolidating gains in service delivery, strengthening mobilisation, and expanding economic transformation rather than amplifying contested claims of individual electoral heroism.

Ultimately, the NRM’s performance in Masaka and the wider Buganda region reflects both recovery and unfinished political work. The gains were real, but they were driven primarily by national leadership, government programmes, and coordinated party and strategic security mobilisation, with individual leaders playing supportive rather than decisive roles.

Credit, therefore, should be distributed proportionately — and in this case, the central driver of the recovery remains President Museveni’s strategy and the impact of government programme delivery on the ground.

…..

Mike Ssegawa is the Deputy RDC Kassanda District

The post MIKE SSEGAWA: The Facts Behind Museveni’s Masaka Gains — Why Justine Nameere’s Claims Deserve Perspective, Not Personal Credit appeared first on Watchdog Uganda.