The Electoral Commission in Kikuube District has declined to nominate National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer Philip Mbabazi Burnet for the Kikuube District LC5 chairperson by-election over discrepancies in his academic documents and failure to present all the required nomination papers.
Mbabazi, who is the son of bush war veteran Maj Gen Matayo Kyaligonza, had been fronted by the ruling party after winning the NRM primaries for the district top seat.
The Electoral Commission opened nominations for the Kikuube District chairperson by-election on May 25, 2026. By the close of the two-day exercise, only three out of the six aspirants who had picked nomination forms returned for nomination.
The candidates included National Unity Platform candidate Fenekansi Tinkamanyire, NRM flag bearer Philip Mbabazi Burnet, and Paddy Kisembo, who had initially contested in the NRM primaries before later returning as an independent candidate after losing to Mbabazi.
At the close of the exercise, Kikuube District Returning Officer Emmanuel Twine confirmed that only two candidates had been successfully nominated.
These included Fenekansi Tinkamanyire of NUP and Paddy Kisembo, who entered the race as an independent candidate despite his earlier participation in the NRM primaries.
Twine explained that although Mbabazi had appeared for nomination, he failed to present several required documents necessary for clearance.
According to Twine, the NRM leadership, led by the party’s Director for Mobilisation Rosemary Sseninde, later held discussions with both Paddy Kisembo and Philip Mbabazi Burnet before deciding to back Kisembo as the party-supported candidate since he fulfilled the nomination requirements.
The development shocked many of Mbabazi’s supporters, who had gathered outside the nomination venue with music and processions prepared to escort him through Kikuube Town after nomination.
Defending the party’s position, Rosemary Sseninde said the NRM could not risk entering the election without a candidate.
“The returning officer has made consultations in Kampala. We have also made consultations with our legal team and NRM Electoral Commission chairperson Tanga Odoi and agreed that we give the flag to Paddy Kisembo, who came second in the NRM primaries,” Sseninde said.
She appealed for calm among Mbabazi’s supporters, insisting the decision had been made in the interest of the party.
“The media kindly try to put out this message to people. Let them back Paddy Kisembo as our NRM candidate now,” she added.
In the NRM primaries, Philip Mbabazi Burnet polled 23,279 votes, representing 58 per cent, while Paddy Kisembo obtained 16,459 votes, representing 41 per cent.
Dickson Tusabe secured 343 votes, representing 0.9 per cent, while Valentino Rubasharaza received 81 votes, representing 0.2 per cent.
Speaking after the nomination exercise, Mbabazi questioned why the NRM Electoral Commission had allowed him to contest in the party primaries using the same documents now being rejected.
“How did NRM nominate me, then present me as a flag bearer with same documents? They are saying I did not study. I was here for primary up to Senior Four, then in mid-A-Level I went to America where I studied a diploma that is even bigger than A-Level. Later, I did a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. How do you then say I did not study?” Mbabazi said.
He alleged that there were individuals both in Kikuube and Kampala working to block his nomination and claimed he had deliberately been allocated the final hours of the last nomination day to deny him enough time to correct any irregularities.
Mbabazi vowed to challenge the decision, insisting he remained the rightful NRM flag bearer.
“I’m the NRM flag bearer. How can NRM connive to give a flag to a person who was not voted by people? I’m the duly elected NRM flag bearer. It’s been a game. We won’t sit back. Let’s push and see how it ends,” he said.
Several theories have since emerged surrounding the failure to nominate Mbabazi.
Some sources claim the issue stemmed from inconsistencies in his names across academic documents, with some bearing the names Philip Mbabazi, others Philip Mbabazi Burnet, and others Philip Mbabazi Kyaligonza.
Others argue that his academic qualifications did not meet the minimum A-Level requirement set by the Electoral Commission for district chairperson candidates.
There were also claims that some of his academic documents were still being processed and had not yet been verified by the National Council for Higher Education by the time nominations closed.
The Kikuube District LC5 seat fell vacant following the death of the incumbent chairperson Peter Banura, who was also a son of Maj Gen Matayo Kyaligonza.
Banura died in a road accident on April 4 in Kiziranfumbi. He had recently been re-elected as Kikuube District chairperson before his death.
