The political battle lines have already started developing in the Kabale district ahead of the political year 2026.
This has not spared sports with two seemingly politically motivated football tournaments happening on the same date fighting for Kabale municipality stadium as their respective host venue.
The earliest Aja Cup is threatened by the creation of the rival NRM Liberation Cup by the Shk Kasimu Kamugisha, the Wakiso district deputy RDC but born in the area.
Aja Cup is sponsored by former Kabale Municipality MP Andrew Aja Baryayanga who is also plotting a comeback into Kabale politics with Kamugisha also eyeing the same Kabale municipality seat currently occupied by FDC’s Nicholas Thaddeus Kamara.
The respective finals are scheduled on Liberation Day, 26th January at the same venue.
Aja Cup organisers claim to have booked the venue earlier last year on December 24th payments before.
"I have already booked the stadium. The authorities permitted me and gave me a good write-up showing that that very day the stadium is free, I paid and I have receipts," revealed Baryayanga.
Baryayanga believes that the move is a political sabotage.
"They knew that I was to have the games in the stadium. If they did not know I would not take it as sabotage," he noted.
Sam Arinaitwe Chairman of Central Division only confirms knowledge of Aja Cup organizing committee payments for the venue.
"The Town Clerk confirmed to me that the stadium has been booked by one party and the other is non-existent on my side," he explained.
Despite declining to comment on the controversial matter Shk. Kasimu Kamugisha flashed NBS Sport with an invitation already extended to the NRM Secretary General Richard Tadwong and that extended to security gurus in the area to secure the NRM Liberation Cup final.
During the previous general elections, Kamugisha beat Aja to the NRM flag before the duo lost to the incumbent after the latter competed independently.
While Aja wants to recover the NRM flag and the municipality seat, it is also an open secret that he wants to take on the Minister of State for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives David Bahati for the district NRM seat – a task that seems huge.
The minister is another big wig invited for the NRM Cup final as he remains a close ally to Kamugisha.
Baryayanga rejoined the NRM after denouncing the party in 2010 after losing the flag to Serapio Rukundo, then Minister for Tourism.
As the dates draw closer, the tension created has already caused divisions within the NRM party in the Kabale.