For 14 youths from Namisindwa, the trip to Kampala was meant to culminate in a historic moment—casting their vote at the National Resistance Movement (NRM) youth delegates’ conference at Kololo. Instead, it ended in disappointment.
The group claims they were denied delegate cards—the only access passes to the heavily guarded venue—leaving them outside as thousands of their peers from across the country took part in electing National and Regional Youth MPs.
Those affected include Lazarous Wanyakala, NRM youth chairperson for Bukhaweka Town Council, Joseph Wanzala of Bumbo Town Council, and Simon Wafunya of Bumbo Sub-county.
When this reporter caught up with them, they were boarding a taxi back to Namisindwa, their voices heavy with frustration.
“Our chairperson refused to give us our tags because we disagreed with him and decided to join another camp of Mercy Kanyesige,” Wanyakala lamented. “Fourteen of us from Namisindwa were denied access, let alone peeping inside.”
The group said they survived by hustling on the streets of Kampala, hoping the situation would change. But as voting drew to a close, resignation set in.
“Tonight we are going back home without electing any leader, without gaining anything,” Wanzala said.
To the young people, the denial of cards was more than an administrative mishap—it was an act of exclusion. “We tried reaching our district chairperson on phone in vain,” one added.
The Kololo conference is one of the largest gatherings of youth under the ruling party, with delegate cards serving as both identification and entry tickets. Without them, participation is impossible.
While elections proceeded smoothly inside, outside the gates the Namisindwa group became a symbol of wider frustration: that internal party processes remain vulnerable to manipulation, silencing voices that deserve to be heard.
Efforts to reach Namisindwa District Youth Chairperson Nimrod Kakai for comment were unsuccessful as his phone remained inaccessible.