Politics 17 April 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Kyankwanzi Retreat: MPs in Military Gear and Museveni's Shs100m Handout Spark Outrage
Newly elected Ugandan MPs attended a partisan retreat at the publicly funded National Leadership Institute in Kyankwanzi, where they wore military uniforms and received Shs100 million each from President Museveni, raising concerns over legality, optics, and misuse of public funds. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/oped/commentary/when-mps-don-military-uniforms-the-stains-of-kyankwanzi-5427052
The National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi, intended as a nonpartisan public body, has once again become a hub for ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) activities. Recently, hundreds of newly elected MPs, mostly from the ruling party, gathered there for a week-long retreat funded by taxpayers.
Participants donned military uniforms, a move critics say violates laws reserving such attire for armed forces personnel. This blurring of civilian and military roles echoes long-standing governance tactics since 1986, undermining the distinct image of legislators.
At the retreat’s close, President Yoweri Museveni announced Shs100 million per MP—Shs20 million upfront and the rest later—potentially totaling Shs40 billion for 350-400 attendees. This sum could build over 200 kilometers of rural feeder roads, highlighting misplaced priorities amid MPs’ election debts.
Kyankwanzi’s notoriety dates back to 2003, when it hosted discussions leading to the removal of presidential term limits in 2005, enabling life presidency bids. In later years, it saw the ‘sole candidate’ resolution sidelining Amama Mbabazi, centralizing power in the party chairman without competition.
These events stain the new Parliament’s start, with MPs accused of legal abuses, improper attire, and accepting inducements, perpetuating Uganda’s political corrosion.
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)