The Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Sembabule, Ms. Jane Frances Kagaayi, narrowly escaped being assaulted by irate supporters of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) on Thursday evening after suspending a party village structure election at Kanoni Village, Ntuusi Town Council in Lwemiyaga County.
Tensions flared when NRM members began queuing behind candidate Vincent Mutebi, also known as Sukuma, before confirming their names in the official party register. In her role as head of district security overseeing the election, Ms. Kagaayi halted the process due to this procedural breach. This action infuriated Frank Nkunda, chairperson of Kigabagaba Village, who aggressively confronted the RDC, grabbing her neck as an excited crowd looked on. Nkunda’s faction, wielding clubs, had earlier driven away supporters of rival candidate Lawrence Muwonge, who is backed by area MP Theodore Ssekikubo.
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During the chaos, supporters of retired army officer Brig. Emmanuel Rwashande—who is vying for the Lwemiyaga parliamentary seat—began verbally attacking Ssekikubo, demanding he leave the polling station. Ssekikubo resisted, instead advancing toward Brig. Rwashande and shoving him, nearly causing him to fall. Rwashande was only saved by his armed security personnel. Throughout the confrontation, Sembabule’s District Security Officer, Lt. Denis Kutamba, and District Police Commander Livingstone Twazaye remained passive observers.
To prevent further escalation, Yosam Tayebwa, acting registrar for Lwemiyaga Sub County, abruptly suspended the election, blaming Rwashande’s supporters for inciting unrest. “We cannot go on under such unsafe conditions. A new date will be set,” he declared.
Brig. Rwashande blamed RDC Kagaayi for the disorder, accusing her of collaborating with Ssekikubo to subvert the electorate’s wishes. “Ssekikubo has failed to meet the expectations of Lwemiyaga residents over the past 25 years. People now want change,” he claimed.
RDC Kagaayi urged leaders to avoid promoting violence, affirming her commitment to maintaining order: “My duty is to uphold peace during the elections. I won’t be intimidated by those trying to obstruct my work,” she stated.
Ssekikubo, in turn, blamed Rwashande for the chaos, accusing him of using unethical tactics to enter Parliament. He appealed to President Museveni, the NRM national chairman, to intervene and protect the party’s reputation.
This is the second postponement of the village elections in Kanoni. Other villages, such as Bugorogoro, Kampala, Kirega, Kawanda, Kasambya, Sagazi Ntyazo, and Suura, also saw elections called off due to similar disruptions.
Although NRM held its nationwide village elections on Tuesday, chaos in some parts of Lwemiyaga County disrupted voting. Two days later, the NRM Secretariat suspended the use of yellow registration booklets in 133 villages over allegations of tampering. These booklets are now in police custody as investigations proceed. Candidates were instructed to re-register on election day, and Fred Bogere Matovu, the NRM registrar for Lwemiyaga Sub County and coordinator for all five sub-counties, was dismissed.
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