By Our Reporter
The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) is once again facing questions over its ability to run smooth and credible internal elections in politically competitive urban centres, after last Thursday’s Special Interest Groups (SIGs) primaries in Kampala were marred by disputes, delays, and allegations of irregularities.
The polls, meant to select party flag bearers for youth and elderly positions ahead of the 2025 SIGs general elections, turned into a test of the NRM’s grassroots cohesion in areas where the opposition is watching closely for cracks to exploit.
At the centre of the fallout is Senior Presidential Advisor and Head of the Office of the NRM National Chairman (ONC), Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye, who has now called for President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s direct intervention to address the scale of grievances reported from the capital.
“If there are genuine grievances, the party has structures to handle them,” Namyalo said during her on-ground assessment. “However, the magnitude of what I have witnessed today calls for the Chairman’s personal attention to ensure fairness and protect our party’s image.”
Urban Voting, Urban Challenges
In Kampala Central’s Nakasero Primary School, tight security from police and the military underscored the tension in the air. Despite early standoffs, voting went ahead, producing clear wins for Chebet Gloria as Female Youth Councillor (75 votes) and Luswata Kayigo Ismail as directly elected Councillor (51 votes). But even here, the competitive mood among youthful voters highlighted the stakes for the party.
In Rubaga Division, however, the exercise at Lubiri SS devolved into chaos, with no official winner declared after accusations of tally manipulation. Supporters of Josephine Nanteza claim her 31 votes were overturned in favour of Sharon Babirye, who polled 26, amid allegations of interference by election officials. The incident sparked protests and added fuel to claims of organisational failure.
“We had the majority in the line-up, and many more were still arriving before the early closure,” one Nanteza supporter told Swift News. “This was not just about numbers — it was about fairness.”
For Namyalo, the bigger picture is the need to safeguard party unity, especially in urban areas where opposition forces often capitalise on NRM internal disputes. While she praised the high voter turnout and youthful energy as a sign that “NRM is alive at the grassroots,” she cautioned that mishandled contests could alienate loyal supporters.
Political observers say these incidents reflect a growing organisational challenge for the NRM in urban constituencies — balancing enthusiasm with discipline, ensuring fairness, and preventing local disputes from escalating into national embarrassments.
“The opposition doesn’t need to defeat NRM in the city if the NRM defeats itself through internal disorganisation,” one political analyst remarked.
Ordinary voters also weighed in on the experience, with mixed feelings.
“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,” added Sarah Namakula, a youth leader in Lungujja.
With the SIGs general elections just months away, how the NRM leadership responds to these grievances may set the tone for internal discipline ahead of a larger electoral test.
For now, Namyalo’s message is clear — fix the process, restore trust, and keep the party’s house in order before opponents turn internal friction into political gain.
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