Rukungiri District is bracing for a political showdown as two prominent bush war generals—Maj Gen Jim Muhwezi Katugugu and Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde—clash in a tense race for the National Resistance Movement (NRM) district chairmanship.
Scheduled for tomorrow, the vote pits Security Minister and Rukungiri’s current NRM Chairperson against his former comrade and fellow NRA veteran, Tumukunde, who is also eyeing the Rukungiri Municipality parliamentary seat in 2026.
Tumukunde was also the security minister before Muhwezi.
The race has stirred high political drama, reigniting old rivalries between the two men who once fought shoulder to shoulder during the 1981–1986 guerrilla war that brought the NRM to power.
Gen Muhwezi has led the ruling party’s machinery in Rukungiri for decades, his political influence etched into the district’s landscape. His challenger, however, is no newcomer.
A former spymaster, cabinet minister, and presidential aspirant, Gen Tumukunde is now attempting a local political takeover that could reset the district's power dynamics.
Though both generals trace their roots to the NRA liberation struggle, they have since charted different political paths.
Tumukunde’s recent efforts to re-establish himself in home turf suggest a broader strategy to build local support ahead of national ambitions.
“This contest is not just about party leadership,” said a political analyst in the district.
“It’s about legacy, control, and influence within one of the NRM’s most historically significant areas.”
Observers say the election has energised the local party base and drawn attention from the NRM’s national leadership, given the stature of both candidates.
The vote is expected to test not only popularity but also the reach of the two men’s networks—grassroots loyalty for Muhwezi, and insurgent momentum for Tumukunde.
For many in Rukungiri, the contest symbolises a rare political reckoning.
That two generals who once commanded battlefields in the same revolutionary army are now fighting for dominance in a civil political arena reflects both the endurance and evolution of Uganda’s liberation generation.
With the NRM's internal elections shaping future parliamentary and presidential strategies, the outcome in Rukungiri will be watched far beyond the district’s borders.
The winner will not only steer the party's district agenda but also cement a foothold in the shifting landscape of post-liberation politics.