EXCLUSIVE: Geofrey Mugisha Named New Head of NRM Youth Forum Amid Regional Tensions

KAMPALA — The National Resistance Movement (NRM) National Youth Forum has named Geofrey Mugisha as its new chairperson at a time of growing internal discontent and widening regional divisions within the forum’s structures.

The decision was reached during a closed-door meeting at Serena Hotel on February 20, where regional representatives endorsed Mugisha unopposed to lead the Forum for the next five years, after his competitor Kabuye Fred, stepped out of the race following consultations.

Party insiders describe the development as a calculated move to restore unity and improve coordination within the Forum, which has recently faced criticism over factional rivalries and a perceived overcentralization of activities in Kampala.

Founded two years ago, the NRM National Youth Forum brings together youth leaders (past and present) as well as mobilisers affiliated with the National Resistance Movement. The Forum serves as a coordinating and advisory platform, tasked with engaging young people and channeling their perspectives into party and national development structures.

Mugisha assumes office amid growing dissatisfaction from youth leaders outside the capital.

“There has been too much concentration of influence in Kampala, leaving district structures weak.” Said Otim Tony, a member of the Forum.

“We’re tired of being ignored. All power, all events are in Kampala. We’re just voters to them,” said Christine Nambozo, a youth mobilizer from Eastern Uganda, echoing frustrations shared at the grassroots level.

Mugisha’s ascent to the chairmanship has been shaped by earlier acts perceived as loyalty to the party establishment. In August last year, he stepped aside from the race for National Youth League chairperson following consultations with Yoweri Museveni at State House Entebbe. The move strengthened his standing as a consensus candidate acceptable to both party leadership and regional blocs.

Currently chairing the NRM Youth League in Rubaga Division, Mugisha brings extensive grassroots mobilization experience. He has worked with young people through civil society and business initiatives, serves as a board member of the Pan African Chamber of Commerce, and previously held the role of Executive Director at Amka Foundation Africa. He is widely credited with organizing the Kampala Metropolitan youth retreat ahead of the 2025 National Youth Council elections—an initiative viewed as strengthening NRM’s performance across central Uganda.

In his first public remarks after assuming the role, Mugisha emphasized “discipline, productivity, and constructive engagement” as guiding principles.

“The youth of Uganda must be organised around ideas that build both the party and the country,” he said, noting that consultations with stakeholders across the country had already begun.

He also sought to clarify the distinction between the Youth League and the National Youth Forum.

According to Mugisha, the NRM Youth League remains the political wing responsible for mobilizing young voters and members at every administrative tier (from village to national level) through elected chairpersons.

“The NRM National Youth Forum, on the other hand, is a coordinating and advisory body that brings together different regional youth forums under one umbrella,” he explained. “It is essentially a sitting of regional forums—uniting youth leaders, past and present, mobilisers, and representatives to strategize, harmonize activities, and channel youth perspectives to the party’s national leadership. The youth of Uganda must be organised around ideas that build both the party and the country.”

With 78% of Uganda’s population under the age of 35, youth engagement remains central to the NRM’s long-term political calculus. Mugisha’s leadership will serve as a barometer of whether the party can unify its youth base through inclusive organization—or allow internal divisions to undermine its outreach.

The real test, observers say, will be whether rhetoric translates into action: decentralizing operations, bridging regional divides, and addressing the economic aspirations of young Ugandans.

In his remarks, outgoing interim chairperson Robert Jjuuko Ssewankambo congratulated the new leadership while underscoring the weight of responsibility.

“You, our new chairperson, Mr. Mugisha, are now the national face of this Forum,” he said, urging him to use the platform rigorously to address issues affecting young people—not only within the movement, but across the country.

As the NRM seeks to consolidate support among Uganda’s youthful majority, attention now turns to whether Mugisha can transform the Forum into a genuinely national and responsive youth platform.