TAKEAWAYS

• Mubarak Munyagwa says Kyankwanzi’s Bachwezi history gives it political symbolism.
• He claims NRM leaders are ideologically aligned once they attend retreats there.
• The CMP leader says Museveni’s long rule has been strengthened by such party structures.

The President of the Common Man’s Party (CMP), Hon. Mubarak Munyagwa Sserunga, has come out to explain why President Yoweri Museveni and the ruling NRM often choose the National Leadership Institute (NALI), Kyankwanzi for major party retreats and resolutions.

Munyagwa was speaking as newly elected NRM MPs continue with their retreat at Kyankwanzi under President Museveni, where key discussions are reportedly centred on the Speakership race and how the party intends to move forward in the next kisanja.

According to Munyagwa, Kyankwanzi is not chosen by accident.

He said the area carries deep historical meaning, noting that it is believed to be one of the last places associated with the mysterious Bachwezi, the ancient rulers linked to Bunyoro and Tooro history, before they disappeared.

Munyagwa argued that because of this symbolism, the place has over time become a powerful centre of political indoctrination and ideological alignment.

“Kyankwanzi is historical. It is one of the places where the famous Bachwezi are believed to have disappeared from, and that is why it carries deep meaning whenever leaders gather there,” Munyagwa said.

The former presidential candidate further referred to a famous Runyankore proverb about beads getting entangled, saying that once those beads get mixed together, there is no way to separate them again.

He said the same happens to delegates once they reach Kyankwanzi.

“Once they reach Kyankwanzi, they are indoctrinated and their minds are wired in one direction. By the time they leave, there is almost no way to rewire them, which is why whatever the President and the party suggest usually goes ahead as the final resolution,” he added.

Munyagwa also described President Museveni as one of the luckiest leaders in Africa, arguing that he has ruled for decades without facing what he called a truly formidable opposition.

While giving the example of Nelson Mandela, Munyagwa said Mandela did not get the chance to enjoy power for long because he ruled for only five years before stepping aside, partly due to challenges within the ANC.

He added that Museveni, on the other hand, has enjoyed a long political stay, which has allowed him to build strong party structures and influence outcomes through forums such as Kyankwanzi.