By Festo Nkwatsibwe Kajura
The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) finds itself at the center of yet another controversy, this time in the Kawempe North MP by-election. The seat fell vacant following the death of Muhammad Ssegirinya on January 9, 2025. Nominations were held on February 26 and 27, with the election scheduled for March 13.
However, the campaign period has been marred by accusations of selective enforcement of the law, suppression of opposition candidates, and violent actions by security forces. The most glaring incident involved commandos from the Joint Anti-Terrorism Taskforce (JATT) assaulting National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Elias Luyimbazi Nalukoola and several of his supporters as they attempted to march to Mbogo Mosque. Nalukoola was arrested and detained at Kawempe Police Station before being released.
The involvement of JATT in a local parliamentary by-election is deeply troubling. As its name suggests, JATT is a specialized unit composed of highly trained military and police personnel tasked with countering terrorism threats. There is no terrorism in this election—only political competition. Deploying an elite anti-terrorism unit in such a setting is an alarming overreach and raises questions about the real motives behind this operation.
What we are witnessing is not law enforcement but blatant political intolerance and selective policing. While Nalukoola was violently arrested, the NRM candidate, Faridah Nambi, was allowed to march to the same mosque freely and address her supporters without interference. This double standard underscores the increasing use of security forces as political tools rather than neutral enforcers of law and order.
Adding to the concerns, security forces assaulted Miracle Ibra, a television journalist. Reports indicate that these attacks were unprovoked. Law enforcement has a duty to maintain public order, but its actions must be reasonable and proportionate. If disturbances occurred, the police—not a militarized counterterrorism unit—should have handled them using necessary and lawful means.
The NRM must acknowledge its declining popularity in urban areas, particularly in Kawempe North and Kampala at large. Knowing this, one would expect security agencies, which are deeply intertwined with the ruling party, to exercise restraint rather than resorting to brute force. Heavy-handedness only deepens resentment among the electorate, further alienating the very people the party should be trying to win over.
This crackdown is not just politically reckless—it is a betrayal of the very principles the NRM once championed. At the signing of the Nairobi Peace Agreement on December 18, 1985, NRA rebel commander Yoweri Kaguta Museveni remarked: “Violence in Uganda was not started by the people, but by those in power in 1964. The government started killing the people at Nakulabye.”
Today, the NRM government, which was born out of resistance to state-sponsored violence, is making the same mistakes as past regimes. Suppressing political opponents and brutalizing journalists mirrors the authoritarian tendencies the party once condemned. The Uganda of 2025 cannot afford a return to the dark days of political repression.
History has repeatedly shown that power is never permanent. The NRM must recognize that its public image cannot be rehabilitated through coercion. If anything, state violence hardens opposition resolve. Losing Kawempe North—a constituency the party has never won since the introduction of multi-party politics in 2005—should not push it to desperate measures. Some battles are better left unfought for the sake of national stability and political maturity.
The real path to changing attitudes lies in inclusive governance and responsiveness to citizens’ concerns, not in the barrel of a gun. If the government truly seeks to win hearts and minds, it must prioritize justice over intimidation, service over suppression, and dialogue over brute force. Only then can it hope to rebuild trust and secure a lasting political legacy.
The writer is an NRM member and ex-MP candidate for Busongora County South, Kasese (2011)