The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has announced it will forego internal primaries in selecting its candidate for the upcoming Kawempe North by-election.
This decision was confirmed by Salim Uhuru, NRM’s Kampala chairman and Mayor of Kampala Central Division, who revealed that President Museveni, the party’s chairperson, directed officials to present a single candidate to avoid internal disputes.
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“The President instructed us to ensure unity by fronting one candidate,” Uhuru said. “This time, there will be no room for independents. We want one united front to take over Kawempe North.”
The NRM has faced challenges in the past where disagreements from primaries led to members running as independents, splitting the vote, and allowing opposition candidates to win. Uhuru emphasized the party’s determination to avoid repeating these mistakes, calling this by-election a critical test of their strategy.
“This is our chance to capture this seat without internal conflicts. We need to focus and work as a team,” he added.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled nominations for February 26 and 27, with the by-election set to take place on March 13.
Uhuru highlighted NRM’s significant investment in Kawempe North through government initiatives such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga programs, expressing confidence that residents would support the party’s candidate.
“We’ve delivered meaningful programs to Kawempe North. It’s now time for the community to show their support for NRM’s development efforts,” he stated.
The Kawempe North parliamentary seat became vacant earlier this month following the death of Muhammad Ssegirinya, who had represented the constituency since 2021.
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