"We Have Crushed Bobi Wine, The Diaspora Is At Last Solidly Behind NRM" Ruth Nankabirwa Declares

Energy Minister Dr. Canon Ruth Nankabirwa has declared that Bobi Wine’s influence abroad has ended, and the Ugandan Diaspora now firmly supports the ruling NRM and President Yoweri Museveni. She said this after returning from the United States where she attended the annual UNAA convention.

Upon her arrival, Nankabirwa drove straight to Hotel Africana in Kampala, where she joined Attorney General Kiwanuka Kiryowa and Buganda CEC member Haruna Kasolo to meet NRM flag bearers for 2026. The retreat was meant to energize party candidates and prepare strategies for winning back Buganda in the next election.

Nankabirwa told the gathering that it was shocking for people in Kabaka’s region to continue voting for the opposition NUP when even Ugandans living abroad had now embraced Museveni’s leadership. She said that NRM candidates now dominate executive positions in UNAA, some even going through unopposed.

 “Those people of Bobi Wine don’t exist out there anymore. We have taken over that platform and edged them out. The same will happen in Buganda come 2026,” Nankabirwa assured the audience.

She explained that UNAA, once known for hosting anti-Museveni protests, has now changed into a positive platform where Ugandans focus on promoting tourism and attracting investment. According to her, this shift is proof that NRM’s message has finally taken root in the Diaspora.

Nankabirwa, who has attended UNAA events for many years, said she was proud of this victory and urged leaders to use it as motivation for the coming elections. She reminded Buganda leaders that the painful wave of NUP support in 2021 should never be allowed to repeat itself.

Together with AG Kiryowa, Nankabirwa is a patron of the “Buganda on Museveni” campaign, an initiative led by more than 30 NRM MPs including Robert Migadde of Buvuma County. She said their joint goal is to ensure Buganda returns to the NRM fold in 2026.

The minister also appealed to NRM leaders to put aside internal conflicts, saying President Museveni, now 81 years old, deserves a stress-free life after decades of sacrifice. She stressed that party infighting has been one of the biggest sources of stress for the President.

“I’m retired and not in elective politics anymore. My only constituency is Mzee Museveni. I’m here to protect him from stress and disappointment,” she told the flag bearers.

Nankabirwa concluded by reminding the leaders that losing power to the opposition would hurt NRM members and their careers more than Museveni himself. She called for unity and hard work, saying the future of the party depends on Buganda’s full return to NRM in 2026.