Published on 14/08/2025
The Senior Presidential Advisor and Head of the Office of the NRM National Chairman (ONC), Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye, has sounded the alarm over alleged irregularities in the ruling party’s Special Interest Groups (SIGs) primaries, calling for the intervention of President Museveni to restore credibility to the process.
The Thursday polls, part of the NRM’s internal elections to select flag bearers for youth and elderly positions for the 2025 SIGs general elections, were marred by disputes, heavy security deployment, and allegations of electoral mismanagement.
In Kampala Central’s Nakasero Primary School, police and military officers maintained tight security as voters—many from nearby ghettos—demanded transparency from polling officials.
Despite initial standoffs, voting went ahead and Chebet Gloria won the flag for Female Youth Councillor with 75 votes after her opponent, Ninsima Christine, reportedly abandoned the queue mid-process when the crowd visibly lined behind the eventual winner.
Similarly, Luswata Kayigo Ismail took the NRM flag for the directly elected Councillor slot with 51 votes against Christopher Baligeya’s 9.
While acknowledging the energy shown by youth and their huge turnup, Hajjat Namyalo stressed that such disputes risk undermining party unity. “What we witnessed today shows that NRM is alive at the grassroots. Disagreements will arise, but we must resolve them through the right party channels and avoid acts that undermine unity,” she said.
In Rubaga Division, the exercise at Lubiri SS Polling station descended into chaos, with no clear winners declared after instances of alleged fraud and irregularities in the handling of the elections. They accused the Registrar for Rubaga, one Kato of reportedly interchanging final tally results for Josephine Nanteza (31) for the eventual winner, Sharon Babirye (26), whom they claim to be an ally of the opposition, leading to a breakout of mass protests against the conduct by the election officials.
The supporters of the aggrieved Nanteza insisted they had the majority during the lining-up vote and that many eligible voters were yet to arrive before the official 1pm close and petitioned Hajjat Namyalo to intervene for fairness and party democracy to reign.
The ONC Boss urged the aggrieved parties to petition the NRM leadership in their district, but also hinted that the scale of complaints required high-level intervention. “If there are genuine grievances, the party has structures to handle them. However, the magnitude of what I have witnessed today calls for the Chairman’s [President Museveni’s] personal attention to ensure fairness and protect our party’s image,” she said.
Meanwhile, some voters commended the enthusiasm in the exercise but lamented delays and disorganisation which undermined the party’s democracy in some instances. “The process was generally peaceful in my area, but the delays made many restless,” said Musa Ssenyonjo, a Kampala Central voter.
“In Rubaga, it felt disorganised. We need better preparation next time,” Sarah Namakula, a local youth leader in Lungujja remarked.
The Kampala and Rubaga incidents have once again put a spotlight on the ruling NRM’s ability to conduct free, transparent, and credible internal elections, especially in politically competitive urban areas where opposition parties are eager to exploit any internal divisions for their sake.
