By Wamala Sipirian
Published: October 8, 2026
The Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) has threatened to reconsider its alliance with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) unless President Yoweri Museveni removes officials the organisation accuses of corruption, including Minister of Water and Environment Maj Gen (Rtd) Kahinda Otafiire.
The warning was issued by PLU Secretary General Daudi Kabanda in a statement titled “NRM Should Not Take TUKO PAMOJA Alliance For Granted.”
Kabanda said the failure to address what PLU considers corruption among senior government officials could force the organisation to reconsider its cooperation with the NRM.
“If the President does not get rid of these corrupt people like Otafiire from our coalition government, we shall be forced to ask our Chairman to reconsider this coalition with NRM and start our own family,” Kabanda said.
Kabanda did not provide evidence in the statement to substantiate the corruption allegation against Otafiire. Otafiire has previously dismissed corruption-related accusations.
Dispute between Muhoozi and Otafiire
The warning comes amid an increasingly public dispute between Otafiire and PLU chairman Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is also the Chief of Defence Forces.
The disagreement intensified after remarks Otafiire made in Parliament and during a public lecture at Valley University of Science and Technology in Bushenyi.
On October 2, Muhoozi demanded that Otafiire publicly apologise over remarks he said were directed at him. He initially gave the veteran general one week to apologise before shortening the deadline to three days. Muhoozi later threatened to have Otafiire arrested.
At the university event, Otafiire distanced himself from PLU, saying he could not speak on behalf of an organisation to which he did not belong.
Reflecting on his participation in struggles against former presidents Idi Amin and Milton Obote, Otafiire said:
“I would rather die on my feet fighting than live on my knees begging.”
His remarks came after he had called for political tolerance in Parliament and cautioned against treating opposition politicians as enemies.
Kabanda defends PLU’s role in NRM cooperation
Kabanda linked the dispute to the future of the “Tuko Pamoja” partnership between PLU and the NRM.
He said Muhoozi had instructed PLU to sign a memorandum of understanding ahead of the 2026 general elections to support NRM candidates “from the President down to the village level.”
Kabanda credited young people and PLU supporters with what he described as a historic 72 percent victory for the ruling side.
“It therefore puzzles us to see some historicals of the Movement, like Hon. Kahinda Otafiire, failing to appreciate the contribution of the young people and all PLU supporters,” he said.
The NRM and PLU publicly announced coordinated electoral mobilisation in September 2025, setting a target of more than 80 percent of the presidential vote for Museveni.
Kabanda said fighting corruption was a central component of the cooperation agreement.
“In our cooperation agreement with NRM, we were clear: the core problem of Uganda is corruption and it must be dealt with decisively,” he said.
He also criticised the continued influence of officials whose liberation-war credentials, in his view, should not shield them from scrutiny.
“It bothers us to see figures associated with impunity and arrogance still being protected and given serious responsibilities under the cover of ‘We fought.’ Did they fight to steal?” he asked.
No decision announced to leave NRM
Despite the warning, Kabanda did not announce that PLU had decided to withdraw from its cooperation with the NRM.
His reference to starting “our own family” raised the possibility of a separate political direction, but he gave no details or timetable for such a move.
The statement therefore represents a warning about the future of the alliance rather than a formal announcement that PLU is leaving the NRM.
PLU continues to publicly organise mobilisation and endorsement activities around its leadership, including recent activities supporting Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Sources
ChimpReports, October 6, 2026; statements by PLU Secretary General Daudi Kabanda; reports on the public dispute between Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba and Maj Gen (Rtd) Kahinda Otafiire; Patriotic League of Uganda.