The National Resistance Movement (NRM) secretariat reinstated its cadre training sessions known as ‘The NRM Ideological Clinics’ for party staff and cadres to gain insights into the ruling party. Launched initially in September 2021, the relaunch, chaired by party Secretary General Rt. Hon. Richard Todwong, occurred at the NRM Headquarters on Plot 10, Kyadondo Road in Kampala.
Rt. Hon. Todwong emphasized that the purpose of these lectures is to foster interaction between NRM’s younger supporters and Party Historicals, individuals who have witnessed the historical context, transformation, and evolution of the NRM from the 1960s to the present.
The rationale behind the lectures is to help party supporters and cadres trace NRM’s extensive journey and understand how it has evolved over the last 45 years. “We got a little engaged in the many by-elections we were having, and we did not have time to organize the clinics. And now that the by-elections are over, we thought we should reintroduce this program to train our cadres,” said Mr. Todwong while addressing the participants.
The lectures, scheduled once a month, will be conducted both physically and virtually via Zoom and YouTube, accommodating members who may be geographically distant.
Mr. Hippo Twebaze, Presidential Advisor at the NRA Archives, served as the guest speaker, discussing the topic “The 90-Day Plan to Attack Kabamba,” moderated by former Bush War Liberator Maj. (Rtd) Awich Pollar. Twebaze highlighted how freedom fighters collaborated effectively with locals, combining intellectual prowess with credible local information.
Secretary General Todwong revealed that these ideological lectures would be conducted along lessons and training on the art of public speaking. “We know many leaders have an interest in leading the people, but communication is the problem. We are helping to learn how to speak to people with confidence and with much knowledge.”
“We are also teaching Kiswahili. We were already having a problem because all East African countries speak Kiswahili except Uganda, which was lagging behind. There are some Ugandans who have lost EAC community jobs when they go for interviews due to difficulty in Kiswahili proficiency,” Todwong added.
The Secretary General also disclosed that the secretariat is preparing to launch a digital library to facilitate online research by NRM cadres. “Instead of carrying books, we shall be uploading the resources online to allow our members to research wherever they are on politics, the economy, and other issues,” said Mr. Todwong.
