Captain Ruhinda Maguru disqualified from contesting against Museveni

KAMPALA, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | The National Resistance Movement (NRM) has disqualified retired UPDF Captain Daudi Ruhinda Maguru from contesting as the party’s presidential flag bearer in the 2026 general elections.

Maguru, who had hoped to challenge incumbent President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for the NRM ticket, was turned away on Friday evening by the NRM electoral chairperson, Dr. Tanga Odoi, for failing to present the required documentation despite having paid the 20 million shilling nomination fee.

The party’s Director of Legal Affairs and head of the verification team, Counsel Enoch Barata, confirmed the disqualification, saying Maguru lacked a proposer, a seconder, and did not present any registered NRM or national voter in support of his nomination.

Barata said Maguru initially appeared without a national ID or certified academic documents. Though given time to return with proof, he came back just before 5 pm—two hours after closure of nominations—with Bachelor’s and Master’s degree documents from Makerere University, but still without nominators, leading to his disqualification.

Barata noted that most last-minute aspirants without proper documentation tend to rely on emotional appeals, which the party cannot accommodate in such a serious process. As things stand, President Museveni remains the only nominee for the NRM presidential flag bearer position.

He paid 40 million shillings to retain both the party presidency and flag bearer slot—positions he has held since the party’s inception. Maguru, dissatisfied with the process, vowed to sue the ruling party for denying him nomination, questioning why it had only printed a single nomination form for Museveni.

Maguru becomes the third person to be blocked from contesting against Museveni in the NRM primaries, following 36-year-old Julius Tumuhimbise from Bushenyi and 30-year-old Briton Kiwanuka from Jinja, both of whom were denied forms despite paying nomination fees.

The NRM has long ring-fenced the top seats for Museveni. In March 2019, MPs endorsed him as the sole party candidate during a retreat in Kyankwanzi, a decision later upheld by the Central Executive Committee (CEC) during a retreat in Chobe. Maguru is no stranger to such battles.

He first challenged Museveni’s unopposed leadership in 2010, was arrested in 2014 for trespassing at the National Leadership Institute, and made unsuccessful bids for nomination in both 2016 and 2020.

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