NRM Entrepreneurs League: Museveni brokers deal for Basajjabalaba

All the National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidates vying for the position of chairperson of the NRM Entrepreneurs League have bowed out and unconditionally endorsed Al Hajj Hassan Basajjabalaba for the 2025–2030 term.

Those who withdrew their bids and pledged support to Basajjabalaba include Sanjay Tanna, Phillip Kakuru, and King Ceasor Mulenga.

The endorsement followed a dialogue convened by the party chairperson, Gen Yoweri Museveni, and facilitated by Thomas Tayebwa, deputy speaker of parliament. The meeting, held on August 30, 2025, at State Lodge Nakasero, saw all candidates agree to back Basajjabalaba in the spirit of fostering unity within the party.

In a statement issued after the meeting, Museveni commended the aspirants for their selflessness and commitment to party cohesion.

“I would like to thank Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa for bringing these factions together, and thank all the aspirants for their foresight. As I often say, it is not just about who is in the position, but what can be achieved. I congratulate Al Hajj Basajjabalaba and commend the other candidates for their selfless act,” said Museveni.

In a joint communiqué, they affirmed their support for Basajjabalaba, stating: “We have done this in the spirit of party unity and cohesion as emphasised by our party chairman.”

The communiqué further emphasised collective progress over individual ambitions, noting the importance of a unified approach to leadership within the Entrepreneurs League. Basajjabalaba, a prominent businessman, has previously been linked to several corruption scandals worth billions of shillings.

During the recent NRM Delegates Conference, Museveni, the party chairman Museveni revealed that investigations were ongoing into allegations of bribery and voter manipulation involving Basajjabalaba, who also serves as one of his special advisors.

Earlier, Mulenga, Shukla, and Sanjay accused Basajjabalaba of taking potential voters out of the country and hiding them in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya and Entebbe’s Botanical Gardens, thereby preventing them from being reached during campaigns.

Basajjabalaba was further accused of sending agents to buy delegate tags at the conference in Entebbe, effectively blocking other candidates’ supporters from voting. The disputes culminated in chaos, forcing the suspension of the Entrepreneurs League elections pending further investigations by the party chairperson.

With Basajjabalaba now endorsed, elections for vice chairpersons and other committee members of the Entrepreneurs League remain pending. Other pending elections include those for vice chairpersons of the NRM Youth League, secretaries, and the NRM Youth MP flag bearers.