SEMABABULE — Tension and confusion gripped Mawogola South on Thursday after one of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) parliamentary flagbearer aspirants, Denis Ddumba, mysteriously went missing in the early hours, throwing the party primaries into turmoil.
Ddumba, who is contesting for the party ticket alongside Yasin Kironde and Dez Byuuma, was last seen around 2am.
His campaign team says he disappeared following a late-night raid by unknown individuals at his residence.
Joseph Bukenya, head of Ddumba’s campaign team, said the attack happened when they noticed torchlight movements outside the house.
As they stepped out to investigate, they were allegedly ambushed. Amid the scuffle that ensued, Ddumba vanished.
“All we want is our candidate back. Let them take their cards if they want, but give us back our person,” Bukenya said in frustration.
According to Abdul Shakul Mukalazi, Ddumba’s driver, a police report was filed immediately after the incident.
However, they claim the police patrol vehicle that responded chose to follow the direction the suspected abductors fled, without addressing the situation at the home.
By Thursday morning, Ddumba’s campaign team had camped at the NRM offices in Sembabule Town, demanding answers and calling for the elections to be suspended until the missing aspirant is found.
Some pointed fingers at fellow aspirant Dez Byuuma, accusing him of orchestrating the incident—allegations that remain unverified.
“We are shocked that the elections are continuing despite Ddumba’s disappearance,” said Augustine Ddumba, the father of the missing candidate.
“How do they expect him to be voted for if he’s not even present?”
He called on the NRM Electoral Commission to suspend the election in Mawogola South and ensure transparency and fairness in the process.
Efforts to contact Dez Byuuma for a response to the allegations were unsuccessful, as his known phone numbers were switched off.
Deborah Alayo, the NRM district electoral supervisor, urged calm and said the matter is being taken seriously.
“We are aware of the situation and are coordinating with the relevant security teams. Investigations are underway, and we shall determine the next course of action based on the findings,” she said.
Gorreth Namuga, the current Member of Parliament for Mawogola South under the National Unity Platform (NUP), defeated Joseph Ssekabiito in the 2021 general election. Political observers note that the disarray in the NRM camp could give her an advantage as she seeks re-election.
As polling materials were being distributed across the constituency, uncertainty lingered over whether the vote could proceed credibly—or whether Ddumba’s disappearance signaled deeper, more dangerous fractures in local electoral politics.
