Kyagulanyi to Participate, Museveni to Miss Presidential Debate

National Unity Platform’s presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine will participate in the Presidential Debate organized by the Nation Media Group despite the NRM candidate declining to attend.

David Lewis Rubongoya, the Secretary General of NUP said despite the NRM saying its candidate Yoweri Kaguta Museveni will not be attending, Kyagulannyi who had already committed to attending, is still committed to the plans.

“He is going to attend unless something changes,” Rubongoya said.

‘Writing on their X page, the NRM said they had received an invitation from NTV on November 21 but couldn’t change their program already agreed upon with the Electoral Commission.

Their statetement said: “Our attention has been drawn to an advert circulating on social media from@ntvuganda purporting to organise a Presidential Debate for the various aspirants and suggesting that the NRM Presidential Candidate will take part. For the record, the NRM only received the invitation on 21st November 2025, long after the @UgandaEC had approved the candidates’ campaign programme. Such a debate was neither brought to the prior consideration of the candidates nor included in the EC-approved programme. Our Presidential Candidate is therefore not preparing to participate in any such debate,” 

Early this week, NTV, surprised many when it published a poster announcing a presidential debate. It wasn’t clear at the moment whether NTV had reached out to all Presidential candidates and whether they had accepted before announcing the debate that will take place this Sunday November 30th at 8pm. 

Kyagulanyi was the first to indicate that he was willing to come and challenge Museveni on his 40-yearlong record as president. 

The other candidates that include; Mubarak Munyagwa of the Common Man’s Party, James Nathan Nandala Mafabi of the Forum for Democratic Change, Mugisha Muntu of the Alliance for National Transformation, Elton Joseph Mabirizi of the Conservative Party, Robert Kasibante of the National Peasant’s Party and Frank Bulira of the Revolutionary People’s Party are yet to confirm their presence. 

If the NRM had not pulled out, this was going to be the second time that President Museveni participates in a presidential debate. The first and so far, the last was held during 2016 presidential elections when he was competing with Dr Kizza Besigye of the then Forum for Democratic Change. In the elections of 2021, there were unsuccessful efforts to have a presidential debate.