NRM Opens Arms to 60 Independents: Treasurer Nekesa Hails Historic Working Pact for Service Delivery

In a significant boost to parliamentary cohesion and the ruling party’s legislative agenda, National Resistance Movement (NRM) National Treasurer Ambassador Barbara Nekesa Oundo on Thursday formally welcomed 60 independent Members of Parliament into a structured working relationship with the party.

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More than 60 Independent Members of Parliament have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) today, Thursday, establishing a formal framework for cooperation in Parliament.

The agreement, signed at the Office of the Government Chief Whip, with guidance from the NRM Legal Director, Enoch Barata, allows the legislators to participate in NRM parliamentary caucus meetings, support government business and work with the ruling party in implementing its 2026–2031 manifesto.

The cooperation was witnessed by the NRM Deputy Secretary General, Rt.Hon. Namayanja Rose Nsereko and National Treasurer, Amb. Barbara Nekesa Oudo.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Amb. Nekesa warmly received the legislators and praised their decision to associate with a political organisation she said “means well for the population.” She framed the development as the culmination of a deliberate process that began immediately after the general elections.

“We started this journey immediately after the elections when President Museveni advised that Independent Members of Parliament who are NRM-leaning should be invited to participate in the Kyankwanzi retreat,” she said.

The National Treasurer was careful to clarify the precise nature of the arrangement. She stressed that the agreement must not be read as a formal defection or crossing of the floor to the NRM. Instead, it formalises practical working relations aimed at improving service delivery.

“These Members of Parliament have not crossed to the NRM. What they have done is create a framework to work with the government in power so that services can easily reach their constituents through implementation of the NRM Manifesto,” Amb. Nekesa emphasised.

The move builds on earlier engagements in which groups of independent MPs, many of whom contested as NRM-leaning candidates after the party’s primaries, expressed interest in cooperating with the ruling party. By signing the memorandum of understanding, the legislators gain access to the NRM Parliamentary Caucus and related party activities while retaining their independent legal status in the House.

Party leaders present at the ceremony underscored that the partnership is designed to strengthen coordination on government business, accelerate the rollout of manifesto commitments, and ensure that constituents of the independent MPs are not left behind in national development programmes.

The signing marks one of the largest formal outreach efforts by the NRM toward independent legislators in the current Parliament. It reflects the party’s broader strategy of building inclusive working majorities while respecting constitutional prohibitions on formal floor-crossing.

As the 12th Parliament continues its work, the new framework is expected to smooth the passage of key legislation and enhance the delivery of services in constituencies represented by the 60 independents. Amb. Nekesa’s remarks signalled the NRM’s readiness to treat the cooperating legislators as partners in the shared task of national transformation.