A delegation of senior officials from Uganda’s ruling party, the National Resistance Movement (NRM), led by President Yoweri Museveni, has arrived in Kenya for an official visit.
In a statement, Kenya’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Party said the NRM officials, headed by Director of External Affairs Awich Pollar Awich and Okei Rukogota from the National Leadership Institute Kyankwanzi, arrived in Nairobi for a four-day official engagement with the UDA.
The delegation was received by UDA’s National Treasurer Japheth Nyakundi.
According to Kenya’s ruling party, the visit follows an invitation from the party’s Secretary General, Hassan Omar.
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Museveni’s NRM Party officials to benchmark with UDA
NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong is expected to join the delegation later in the day for consultations with UDA leadership.
The visit comes after a section of Kenyans were allegedly caught participating in the grassroots elections of NRM which has caused chaos in parts of the country.
The situation was highlighted by NRM Chairperson for Busia District Eric Masiga who confirmed that polls in several villages were cancelled due to the alleged participation of Kenyans.
“We were strictly following the yellow book, but when some Kenyans crossed the border and insisted on voting, chaos broke out, leading to the cancellation of the voting process,” Masiga stated.
The regions most affected by this chaos include Buteba Sub County and the Eastern Division.
Also, the visit by NRM officials in Kenya comes after a UDA delegation met President Yoweri Museveni on Friday, February 7 in Uganda for discussions on party leadership.
Uganda visit
The 19-member team, led by Hassan Omar, was in Uganda for a week-long retreat.
In addition, the team engaged with officials from NRM Party and discussed areas of mutual interest between the two parties and their respective countries.
Also Read: Museveni’s Party Cancels Elections After Kenyans Sneak to Vote
As part of their visit, the delegation also toured the NRM Leadership Academy, which served as a model for a similar institution which UDA plans to establish in Kenya.
Awich Pollar, an NRM official, highlighted the close ties between the two ruling parties.
“The two political parties share similar missions of transforming the lives of the population and championing East Africa’s political federation,” said Pollar.
The visit to Uganda’s NRM party by UDA did not come as a surprise as the party has always expressed its admiration for the longevity of Uganda’s ruling party.
In October 2024, a delegation of UDA leaders visited the party in Uganda and expressed its readiness to benchmark its performance against the longevity of the NRM party.
“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). Kenya’s history of political parties is that they evolve from one election to another,” remarked Joash Maangi, part of the seven-strong UDA delegation that visited NRM in October.
Omar Hassan praised NRM’s leadership and resilience, calling the meeting a valuable learning opportunity for his party.
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