The ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has announced plans to send 100 members of the party to Uganda to attend a leadership training.
In a statement on Friday,9, President William Ruto's party said the decision follows talks between UDA and the National Resistance Movement (NRM), headed by Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni.
The UDA officials are set to attend the course at National Leadership Institute in Kyankwanzi in Jinja, Uganda.
“UDA Party Secretary General Sen. Hassan Omar and Uganda's ruling party, National Resistance Movement (NRM) counterpart, Rt. Hon Richard Todwong, held talks this morning at the party headquarters, Hustler Plaza,” UDA said in a statement.
The statement added: “The two Secretary Generals discussed issues of mutual interest between the two political outfits, including training of a batch of 100 members of the UDA party at Uganda's National Leadership Institute - Kyankwanzi in Jinja.”
The visit came after a four-day official visit in Kenya by senior leaders from NRM. 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 UDA National Treasurer Japheth Nyakundi.
UDA confirmed the visit on Thursday, May 8, revealing that the delegation arrived after an invitation by Mr Omar.
“The officials are part of a delegation 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 Secretary General Richard Todwong will join the delegation later for consultations with the UDA leadership.
The visit came amid increased collaborations between UDA and NRM. Recently, a 19-member delegation, led by Omar, held talks with President 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, hoping this will help it establish a more structured leadership training program.
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.
