A section of ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) mobilisers in Rukungiri district has accused senior presidential advisor Peace Rugambwa’s campaign team of allegedly deceiving President Yoweri Museveni during the 2026 general elections by staging fake opposition defectors.
On December 23, 2025, Rugambwa launched the “Team Peace Rugambwa for President Museveni” campaign, a door-to-door mobilisation drive aimed at canvassing support for Museveni and NRM candidates across the 12 districts of southwestern Uganda ahead of the general elections.
The campaign reportedly targeted rural and hard-to-reach communities, with mobilisers tasked to persuade voters, including opposition supporters, to back NRM candidates.
However, disgruntled mobilisers now claim they worked for more than 15 days during the mobilisation exercise without receiving the payments allegedly promised by Rugambwa’s team.
According to the mobilisers, the promised payments ranged from Shs 300,000 for parish-level coordinators to about Shs 3 million for district coordinators. They further allege that they spent their own money on transport, meals and communication during the campaigns but have never been refunded.
Collins Mumpe, the Mitooma district chairperson for Team Peace Rugambwa, alleges that the campaign team staged fake political converts during the election period by hiring individuals to pose as opposition defectors.
Mumpe claims the team printed counterfeit membership cards for opposition parties, including the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and National Unity Platform (NUP), to create the impression that large numbers of opposition supporters were crossing to the NRM.
According to the mobilisers, the staged defections were allegedly intended to convince both the public and senior NRM officials that Rugambwa’s mobilisation campaign was gaining massive support on the ground.
Some mobilisers also claim they were promised additional post-election rewards, including lump-sum cash payments, a vehicle for the mobilisation team and an opportunity to meet President Museveni at State House after the elections.
The group, drawn from several districts in southwestern Uganda, has now appealed to Museveni to personally intervene in the dispute, arguing that the matter is creating tension within local NRM structures.
They also accused the campaign leadership of internal mismanagement and cited what they described as a pattern of unfulfilled promises.
Several mobilisers, including Peruth Nimusiima from Rukungiri Municipality, Joy Ngabirano from Bwambara sub-county, Talent Nagasha from Rukungiri Municipality, LC1 chairperson John-Bosco Muhumuza from Bwambara sub-county, Julie Turyagyenda from Rukungiri Municipality and Richard Turyabira from Nyakagyeme sub-county, claim they were promised further benefits after the elections.
The group alleges that Rugambwa pledged Shs 10 million to each of the eight district-level team members, a vehicle for the mobilisation group and a trip to State House to meet Museveni following his election victory.
However, the mobilisers now claim that Rugambwa has since gone silent and no longer responds to their phone calls.
Rugambwa had not commented on the allegations by the time of filing this report, as repeated calls from our reporter went unanswered.
Black News 
