Naome Kabasharira has been formally nominated to seek a second term as Member of Parliament for Rushenyi County in Ntungamo District.
The ceremony, overseen by the district’s returning officer, Latif Ngonzi, sets the stage for the constituency’s contest in Uganda’s general elections, scheduled for January 2025.
Kabasharira will stand as the official candidate of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), the country’s ruling party.
The nomination event, held at the Ntungamo District Electoral Commission Offices, was a tightly organized affair.
The incumbent was flanked by her chief campaigners, a visual testament to the coalition she has built.
In her speech after nomination, Kabasharira struck a tone of humble gratitude and firm resolve.
“Today’s nomination is not my victory; it is our victory,” she declared, framing her candidacy as a continuation of a collective development effort. She pledged to represent her constituents “boldly and truthfully” and to “protect public resources without compromise.”
She said her campaign aligns with her party’s national manifesto, focusing on five core areas: increasing household wealth through programs like the Parish Development Model (PDM), improving health services, enhancing roads and water access, strengthening education and youth skilling, and expanding electricity coverage.
Justus Karuhanga, a local NRM official, highlighted this newfound cohesion as her key achievement.
“Among the seven LC3 chairpersons she has worked with during this term, only one supported her at the start,” he noted.
“You can see that many of them are here today to nominate her. Leaders who didn’t support her initially are now standing with her. That is unity.”
Beyond political bridge-building, her supporters point to tangible improvements in local services.
They cite the upgrading of two Health Centre IV facilities in Rushooka and Rubaare, and the lobbying and procurement of two fully operational emergency ambulances for the constituency.
Dominic Tumwesigye Kadenge, a certified tax advisor and Rotarian, called the Rushooka HCIV ambulance a landmark achievement.
“I believe this is the only fully operational ambulance in the region,” he said. “The rest are just vehicles.”
Kabasharira’s nomination also served as a platform to reinforce support for the ruling party. Karuhanga made a direct appeal to the youth, the president’s bazukulu (grandchildren).
“Yes, unemployment is still a challenge, but anger alone is not a solution,” he argued. “Being angry and voting for another angry person without a plan does not change anything. There is a plan.”
He pointed to specific policies to make his case.
“The President launched it in his manifesto, but unfortunately, many do not read. There is even a university–unemployed youth fund being created at every district. Isn’t that amazing? Shouldn’t that be amplified? Shouldn’t that be a reason to vote for the President?”
Karuhanga concluded with a regional pitch, “The President is solution-oriented and cares about the people. He will be visiting us in November, and I encourage everyone to come, listen, and support. Also, we rarely say this, but he is from this place. Why shouldn’t we support our own?”
Kabasharira’s nomination was, in the end, a display of political strength. It showcased an incumbent who has consolidated her local base and aligned herself firmly with the national ruling party’s machinery.
Her message was one of continuity.
“When Rushenyi called for action, I showed up. When you needed a voice, I raised it. When you demanded results, we delivered. But my friends, our journey is not finished. The work continues.”
As the campaign begins in earnest, the people of Rushenyi will decide whether her first-term record and her pledges for a second are enough to warrant another five years in Parliament.
For now, the NRM flag flies unchallenged for her in the constituency, and she begins the race as the clear favourite.
