NRM’s 39 Years of Lies: A Legacy of Deception, Betrayal, and Broken Promises

For 39 years, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) has ruled Uganda with a firm grip, feeding its people a steady diet of lies, empty promises, and manipulated narratives. They have mastered the art of deception so well that even their own members might struggle to separate fact from fiction. From the moment they grabbed power in 1986, they set the stage for a regime built on falsehoods, oppression, and exploitation.

1. The First Lie: “We Came to Liberate Uganda”

When Museveni and his NRA rebels marched into Kampala on January 25, 1986 (yes, 25th—not 26th as they shamelessly rewrite history), they branded themselves as “liberators.” They told Ugandans that they had come to free them from dictatorship, misrule, and chaos. Nearly four decades later, what do we have? A brutal dictatorship worse than those before it.

Elections? Staged.
Opposition? Crushed.
Media? Controlled.
Human rights? Violated daily.

The so-called liberators became worse than the regimes they overthrew. Museveni didn’t bring freedom—he brought an empire of lies.

2. The “Four-Year Transition” Lie

“We are only here for four years, then we shall return power to the people.”

This was the grand deception of 1986. The NRM had no intention of leaving. The four years became ten. The ten became twenty. Now, we are staring at 40 years of Museveni’s rule, with no end in sight. They have amended the Constitution multiple times—abolishing term limits, removing the presidential age cap, and using state machinery to ensure Museveni’s life presidency.

The so-called transition was nothing but a political scam to keep Ugandans hopeful while the regime settled in for a never-ending feast at the national table.

3. The “Fundamental Change” Lie

Museveni’s famous speech in 1986 declared that Uganda had seen “not just a mere change of guards, but a fundamental change.” What a joke! What exactly has changed? The corruption, nepotism, and abuse of power that characterized past regimes have not only continued but have worsened.

Ugandans are still abducted in drones.
Ugandans are still tortured in safe houses.
Ugandans are still denied basic freedoms.

The only fundamental change we have seen is that Uganda’s suffering has deepened under the NRM.

4. The Democracy Deception

NRM has spent decades masquerading as a democratic government. They claim Uganda holds free and fair elections. But can an election be fair when the opposition is arrested, harassed, and even killed? When the military determines the winner? When ballot boxes are stuffed and polling stations militarized?

The truth is, democracy under NRM is a lie—a well-packaged lie sold to the world while Ugandans continue to suffocate under an unyielding dictatorship.

5. The Economic Growth Lie

“We have transformed Uganda’s economy!”

That’s the NRM’s favorite lie, thrown around every time they want to impress the world. Yes, there are new roads, but at what cost? Corruption is so deep-rooted that Uganda’s national debt has soared beyond $25 billion. The economy is controlled by a few elites, while the ordinary Ugandan struggles with high unemployment, skyrocketing prices, and a cost of living crisis.

Meanwhile, billions are looted by government officials every year, yet schools remain in ruins, hospitals lack medicine, and public servants are paid peanuts. What kind of growth is this? A growth that benefits only the ruling class while millions of Ugandans sink deeper into poverty?

6. The “We Have Secured Uganda” Lie

NRM boasts about bringing security and stability to Uganda, but security for whom?

For the ordinary Ugandan, security means living in fear of state operatives. It means waking up to news of missing persons, extrajudicial killings, and illegal detentions. It means knowing that if you speak too loudly against the government, you could be abducted, tortured, or killed.

The so-called security is a cover for repression. The police and army are not there to protect Ugandans; they exist to protect the regime from Ugandans.

7. The “Youth Empowerment” Lie

NRM pretends to care about Uganda’s youth, yet they have turned them into beggars in their own country. Young people graduate into unemployment. They are forced to either join the ruling party for survival or leave the country in search of opportunities. The few government programs aimed at youth are riddled with corruption. The famous “Youth Livelihood Fund” was just another avenue for officials to steal.

Instead of empowering the youth, NRM sees them as a threat. That’s why they abduct them, silence them, and use military force to suppress their voices.

8. The Oil Money Lie

For years, the government hyped up Uganda’s oil discoveries, promising economic transformation. “When oil starts flowing, Uganda will become a middle-income country!” they said.

Fast forward to 2025, and where is this oil money?

The deals were signed in secrecy. Corruption is rampant in the sector. The wealth from Uganda’s oil will not benefit the people—it will enrich the ruling elites and their foreign partners while Ugandans remain poor.

How Far Will These Lies Go?

NRM will continue its deception as long as they are in power. They will lie about development, about security, about progress. They will change the Constitution again if necessary. They will manipulate elections. They will jail more opposition leaders. They will kill more Ugandans if that’s what it takes to hold onto power.

But history teaches us one thing: No regime lasts forever. The lies will eventually catch up with them. The people will wake up. And when they do, there will be no lie big enough to save the NRM from the judgment of Ugandans.

Uganda deserves better than this mountain of lies. The question is: how much longer will Ugandans tolerate deception, or will they rise and reclaim their country?