Several aspirants in the National Resistance Movement’s Kampala Lord Mayoral primaries have rejected the results, citing blatant voter bribery, interference by party structures, and a flawed tribunal process.
The fallout risks splintering the party ahead of the 2026 elections.
Tensions are escalating within the National Resistance Movement (NRM) in Kampala after multiple contestants in the party’s mayoral primaries rejected the outcome, alleging widespread electoral malpractice and manipulation by party officials.
The most vocal of the aggrieved candidates, Thadeous Musoke and Mayambala, have decried the entire exercise as chaotic and compromised, accusing party structures of engineering results in favour of pre-determined candidates.
“We cannot accept results from an election where the process was clearly manipulated,” Musoke told journalists at a press briefing.
“From voter bribery to interference by NRM structural leaders, the malpractice was blatant and extensive.”
Mayambala echoed the sentiment, warning that unless President Yoweri Museveni—who also chairs the NRM—intervenes personally, the affected candidates may run as independents in the 2026 general elections.
The duo claims Kampala-based NRM leaders dominated voting zones to tilt the outcome, while the party’s electoral tribunal failed to offer meaningful recourse.
“We were given only one hour to present our cases,” Mayambala said. “How can justice be served in such a short time when there are serious allegations of fraud?”
In response, NRM Kampala Chairman Salim Uhuru dismissed the claims and defended the credibility of the poll.
“The people of Kampala voted for candidates of their choice. The results reflect the democratic will of our voters,” he said.
However, discontent has spilled beyond the mayoral race. Several Local Council aspirants have joined the protest, accusing election officials of vote tampering and structural bias.
The growing unrest has cast doubt on the integrity of the NRM’s internal electoral system in Kampala, with calls mounting for the party to annul and repeat the primaries.
Critics warn that without swift intervention from the top leadership, the internal fractures could weaken the party's footing in a key electoral battleground.
As the NRM hierarchy remains publicly silent, all eyes are on President Museveni to restore confidence or risk defections from disillusioned aspirants seeking alternative political paths.
