PLU Begins Pader Mobilisation For Muhoozi’s 2031 Presidential Bid

The Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) has started mobilising members in Pader District to endorse Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba for president in 2031, with local leaders calling for unity and voluntary registration. The mobilisation meeting was held on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at the Pader District Headquarters Health Boardroom and brought together PLU leaders, security sector leaders, newly appointed sub-county coordinators and other political leaders.

Mugisha Ocer Anywar, the PLU District Vice Chairperson and NRM District Publicity Secretary, described PLU as a civil society organisation rather than a political party, while also referring to it as a sister organisation to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM). “PLU is not a party,” Mugisha said, urging people affiliated with different political parties to join and work with NRM structures without treating each other as political competitors.

He cautioned newly appointed coordinators against joining the organisation expecting financial rewards, saying the positions were voluntary. Mugisha said the regional membership target is more than one million people, with Patriotic Cadre (PC) numbers expected to be issued to sub-county coordinators and Patriotic Officer (PO) numbers issued at the national level.

He said the immediate focus was registration and mobilisation rather than the official launch of PLU in Pader. PLU Publicity Secretary Justine Ocen said the official launch would later attract ministers, Members of Parliament and other dignitaries. He said the leadership first wanted to build the membership register before holding the launch.

Ocen rejected claims that PLU had been established to fight the NRM or other political leaders, stressing that membership was voluntary. He called for increased sensitisation, saying many residents still do not understand the organisation and its objectives. PLU member Vicky Norah Odong cautioned members against making promises they could not fulfil, saying their conduct would influence how the organisation is perceived in Pader.

She urged members to remain accountable to the communities they seek to mobilise. Sheikh Ismail Odongkara, the PLU coordinator for Pajule Town Council, called for the newly appointed coordinators to be oriented on their roles and responsibilities. Odongkara also said he would not participate in conflicts among NRM members and welcomed efforts aimed at reconciling opposing groups.

However, the mobilisation meeting also raised questions about PLU’s relationship with the NRM. Pader District Chairperson Alfred Akena, an ex-officio member of PLU, questioned the organisation’s structure, saying it appeared to him to be a rebirth of the NRM despite its stated status as a civil society organisation.

Akena said he had already registered as a PLU member in Gulu City. Referring to a message he had sent on WhatsApp to PLU Pader District Coordinator and Chairperson Christopher Komakech, Akena warned that political divisions emerging from the recent elections could affect the organisation. He urged PLU leaders to use the organisation to unite people around development rather than deepen political divisions. 

“Because we, the leaders, are the light of PLU,” Akena said. Akena also opposed excluding people associated with different political camps, saying MP CD Lowila Oketayot and Ottober Wellborn Odiya, both ex-officio members and resource mobilisers, should be allowed to contribute to the organisation.

He said he would not attend meetings that promote political divisions, while maintaining that he remains a member of both PLU and NRM. The meeting also recognised Aber Lillian, the PLU regional coordinator, for supporting the printing of PLU booklets. The Pader mobilisation is part of PLU’s wider effort to build grassroots support for Kainerugaba ahead of the 2031 presidential election.