Senior officials from Uganda's ruling party, the National Resistance Movement (NRM), have arrived in the country for a four-day official visit.
The team, led by NRM’s Director of External Affairs Maj (Rtd) Awich Pollar Awich and Col Okei Rukogota from Uganda’s National Leadership Institute Kyankwanzi was received in Nairobi by United Democratic Alliance (UDA) National Treasurer Japheth Nyakundi.
UDA confirmed the visit on Thursday, May 8, revealing the delegation arrived after an invitation extended by UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar.
“The officials are part of a delegation which is expected in the country at the invitation of the UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar. They were received by National Treasurer Hon Japheth Nyakundi," UDA said in a statement.
NRM's renowned Secretary General Richard Todwong will join the delegation later for consultations with the UDA leadership.
Interestingly, the visit came at a time when there are increased collaborations between the two neighbouring ruling parties. Recently, a 19-member delegation led by Hassan Omar held consultative meetings with President Yoweri Museveni and other officials of Uganda's ruling party.
It was at this visit that the UDA officials toured NRM's leadership Academy - an institution which the UDA hierarchy has openly expressed interest in replicating in Kenya in a deliberate effort to establish a more structured leadership training program.
From a political standpoint, the close ties being established with NRM is seen as a calculated strategy to learn from Uganda's ruling party's longevity since NRM has been in power since 1986.
In an earlier visit in October 2024, UDA openly expressed admiration of NRM's political stability, saying, "We admire that you have a good foundation to pick a leaf from, and I will be looking forward to what structured partnership to learn from you (NRM),” UDA official Joash Maangi said during the October trip."
Interestingly, the delegation's visit to Kenya came shortly after reports that a number of Kenyans had crossed the border to participate in NRM's grassroots elections in Uganda - a move which eventually led to chaotic scenes and cancellation of voting in several areas.
According to NRM’s Busia District Chairperson Eric Masiga, voting in Buteba Sub County and Eastern Division was disrupted after non-Ugandan nationals tried to take part in the polls.
“We were strictly following the yellow book, but when some Kenyans crossed the border and insisted on voting, chaos broke out, leading to the cancellation of the voting process,” Masiga said.
