Officials from the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Secretariat on Friday narrowly escaped an attack by angry party supporters in Tororo District, after chaos erupted during a controversial verification exercise of the party register in West Budama North East and West Budama South constituencies.
The verification, reportedly triggered by a petition from area Members of Parliament Fox Odoi and Emmanuel Otiam Otaala, was carried out without prior notice to local authorities.
The MPs had claimed that non-residents had infiltrated the registers, but their concerns were met with hostility from both voters and local leaders.
Tensions flared first in Osia Sub-county, West Budama South, where residents, including village registrars, confronted the NRM team and demanded written authorization for the exercise.
“We shall not allow you here since you did not send us any letter authorizing this activity. There was an update of registers, we do not have any ghost voters here,” said Nicholas Odoi, the Osia sub-county chairperson.
Facing resistance and lacking documentation, the verification team was forced to retreat as residents accused them of undermining a process they believed had already been completed.
“Village barraza was the last day to verify voters. Where were you people?” a registrar asked. “We shall demand to meet President Museveni over this because you are failing him!”
Accusations quickly turned political, with residents blaming MPs Odoi and Otaala for manipulating the process to serve personal interests.
“Should we now reverse the structure elections that have already taken place because of two people?” asked John Oburu, a village registrar.
Local leaders rejected suggestions that certain communities were illegitimate voters.
“I have been a leader here. I know the people in this community—they are of different tribes. Are they trying to say that Banyakole are not supposed to be in Tororo?” one sub-county councillor asked.
From West Budama South, the NRM team moved to West Budama North East, where they faced similar resistance.
Placard-waving voters denounced Fox Odoi, accusing him of engineering the petition to destabilize the voter roll.
“Fox and Otaala will not bulldoze us,” said Julius Okello, a village registrar. “They are sensing defeat, that’s why they’re trying to confuse us. They’ve been our leaders and have done nothing.”
Some supporters warned that political meddling could cost the NRM support in the area.
“Unless this matter is resolved quickly, many of us will abandon NRM,” one party supporter said.
Capson Sausi, who led the verification team, defended the operation, stating that they were responding to formal concerns from the MPs.
“By the time the petition was submitted, the village barraza had already taken place, but we couldn’t ignore the MPs’ concerns. That’s why we’re here to gather facts and table our findings before our bosses,” Sausi said.
With tensions running high, the NRM Secretariat faces mounting pressure to investigate the claims, resolve the dispute, and restore confidence in its grassroots processes ahead of the party’s internal primaries.