The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has indefinitely suspended internal elections for district leadership positions in Sembabule District due to a heated dispute over voter registers.
Originally set for May 30, the elections were halted following a tense meeting at the party’s headquarters in Kampala on May 28. The camps of State Minister for Health Anifa Kawooya and retired Gen. Phinehas Katirima—both contesting the district chairperson seat—clashed, accusing each other of manipulating the list of delegates eligible to vote.
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NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson, Dr. Tanga Odoi, responded by ordering a verification and cleanup of the NRM registers at the sub-county level before any new election date is announced.
“We will first authenticate and clean up the registers to ensure only valid delegates participate in the upcoming election,” Dr. Odoi stated.
The meeting included Sembabule MPs, parliamentary aspirants, LC5 candidates, and members of the district security committee, including the RDC, police commander, and internal security officer.
Dr. Odoi also said elections for youth and persons with disabilities (PWDs) at the sub-county level must be concluded first to ensure a complete list of delegates from Ntuusi Town Council. These polls had previously failed on May 19 after allegations emerged against Ntuusi registrar Michael Ninsiima for collusion with certain candidates.
Voters also reported voter intimidation and violence, including beatings by UPDF soldiers. The PWDs were unable to vote for their preferred candidate, Richard Senkusu, who was under arrest following earlier election-related violence in Bwogero Parish.
Dr. Odoi cautioned party members against electoral violence, warning that failure to elect leaders by the end of June would result in a one-year delay before new elections could be held.
A register verification exercise has been scheduled, with complaints to be submitted in writing by June 4.
The first round of the Sembabule district chairperson vote, held on May 23, ended in chaos when clashes broke out between supporters of the rival camps after police restricted access to the polling grounds. Gen. Katirima declared himself the winner, claiming support from 380 of the 631 delegates, and pledged to unify the party.
Meanwhile, President Museveni’s brother, Godfrey Aine Kaguta Sodo, was elected unopposed as district vice chairperson. Woman MP Mary Begumisa and Mawogola North MP Shartis Musherure Kutesa were also elected unopposed as general secretary and secretary for finance, respectively.
The NRM’s grassroots electoral process began on May 6, starting with village-level polls. However, instances of violence—including three deaths—have disrupted elections in several areas, leading to annulments of results. The party is set to elect parliamentary flag bearers on July 16.
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