Two ministers in the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) suffered defeats in the party’s Special Interest Groups elections on Monday night, signaling a shift in power dynamics ahead of the 2026 General Elections.

In the most dramatic upset, Security Minister Maj. Gen. (retired) Jim Muhwezi lost the chairmanship of the NRM Veterans League to Moses Mushabe, the incumbent NRM chairman for the Isingiro District. Mushabe secured 1,047 votes against Muhwezi’s 570, ending the veteran minister’s long dominance in party veterans’ politics. Other contestants, Titus Erisa Kiwanuka and Jackson Walusimbi, received 11 and 7 votes, respectively.

Muhwezi, one of the longest-serving ministers in President Museveni’s government, has held key Cabinet positions, including Health and Information. Party insiders interpreted his defeat as a sign of a generational shift within the veterans’ ranks and growing discontent among grassroots delegates.

In a separate contest, the Minister of State for the Elderly, Dominic Mafabi Gidudu, was defeated in his bid to represent older persons from Eastern Uganda in Parliament. He lost the NRM ticket to Ofwono Opondo, the former executive director of the Uganda Media Centre, who garnered 168 votes to Gidudu’s 124. Gidudu also lost the race for chairman of the NRM Elderly League to Peninah Busingye.

Speaking about his double defeat, Gidudu said he respected the delegates’ choice. “Internally, I may have my own opinion about how things turned out, but after all, this is one party, and its collective decision has to stand,” he said.

Efforts to reach Muhwezi for comment were unsuccessful.

The defeats are seen by some party insiders as a sign of volatility within the NRM, with delegates appearing increasingly willing to punish incumbents accused of complacency or detachment from their constituencies.

The Minister of Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities, Col. (retired) Tom Butime, however, retained his position as chairman of the NRM Historical Leaders’ Forum.