KAMPALA, Uganda — Lawyer and political commentator Pius Okiror has accused the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) of applying double standards in the way it treats party loyalists and politicians who cross over from opposition parties.
In an opinion article submitted to The Ankole Times, Okiror argued that the NRM operates a “two-speed welcome system” in which founding members and long-serving cadres enjoy greater protection and opportunities than political converts who help expand the party’s support base.
His comments come in response to recent appeals by some leaders and residents from the Teso sub-region urging President Yoweri Museveni to consider appointing former ministers from the region who were dropped from Cabinet during the latest reshuffle.
Okiror cited former State Minister Agnes Akiror Egunyu as an example of what he described as the party’s failure to adequately reward political defectors who make significant contributions to the NRM.
According to Okiror, Akiror played a major role in mobilising support for the NRM in Teso through the Independent Task Force (ITF), a political pressure group that attracted a number of influential mobilisers from the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).
He claimed that the movement of these mobilisers contributed to improved electoral performance for President Museveni and the NRM in the sub-region.
“She crossed over with an army of mobilisers and helped shift voting patterns in Teso, yet after serving in government she appears to have been forgotten,” Okiror wrote.
He further argued that despite serving as Minister of State for Tourism and later Minister of State for Teso Affairs, Akiror did not receive the same level of support from party structures after leaving Cabinet as some other leaders have received.
Okiror also drew comparisons between the political experiences of NRM Vice Chairman for Eastern Uganda Mike Mukula and former Speaker of Parliament Anita Among.
He claimed that when Mukula faced legal troubles in the past, senior party figures rallied behind him and successfully advocated for his political rehabilitation. In contrast, he argued that Among, who is currently facing public scrutiny and investigations over corruption allegations, has not received similar support from sections of the ruling party.
The lawyer contended that the contrasting treatment raises questions about fairness within the NRM and whether political pedigree influences how leaders are treated during difficult times.
“Original members get umbrellas in the rain while converts are left to dance in the thunderstorm,” he wrote.
Okiror concluded by warning opposition politicians considering crossing to the NRM to carefully study the experiences of those who defected before them.
“In politics, as in life, it is painful to discover that you were invited to the party but not to the table,” he said.
Okiror identifies himself as an advocate of the courts of judicature in Uganda and a member of the Independent Task Force.
