The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Electoral Commission has appointed a new Returning Officer in Namutumba District following the arrest of Richard Mwanja, the official previously overseeing the party’s primaries, over allegations of electoral malpractice.
Mwanja was arrested on Thursday morning after allegedly altering results from the party’s parliamentary primaries held on July 17.
His removal has been widely welcomed by NRM supporters across the district, many of whom accused him of subverting the will of voters.
In swift response to the scandal, NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson Dr. Tanga Odoi appointed Felicity Etyang, a staff member from the party secretariat, to assume electoral responsibilities in Namutumba until further notice.
“Under the party laws, it is only the Electoral Commission National Chairman who has the mandate to assign or deploy a Returning Officer,” said NRM spokesperson Rogers Mulindwa, who is supervising elections in the Busoga sub-region.
“Dr Tanga Odoi has now assigned Felicity Etyang to preside over the elections in Namutumba.”
The change follows mounting accusations against Mwanja, particularly for allegedly failing to properly declare results from several electoral positions.
According to Namutumba Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Fred Bangu, the tallying process on voting day began with results for the Woman MP seat, which were fully completed.
However, Mwanja allegedly delayed announcing those results and instead emerged with a declaration for Busiki North — a constituency that had not been tallied.
“On voting day, we started tallying the Woman MP results and completed them,” Bangu said.
“But instead of declaring those results, Mwanja delayed and later surfaced with results for Busiki North, which had not been tallied. We are now asking him to explain where those results came from.”
Bangu also dismissed Mwanja’s claims to the NRM Electoral Commission that all results had been declared in the presence of senior police officers.
“That was not true. There was no official declaration of results in Namutumba,” he said.
“We were shocked to watch a video clip where Mwanja told Dr Tanga Odoi that he had declared all results in front of senior police officers. We want him to clarify which officers he was referring to.”
In light of the controversy, the District Security Committee consulted with the NRM secretariat, which recommended that all election materials and results be transferred to Kampala for further review and verification.
The news of Mwanja’s arrest sparked jubilation among NRM supporters in Namutumba. Many residents, particularly at the Namutumba Town Council headquarters polling station, claimed that their votes had been ignored.
“We voted for different candidates, but he declared names that didn’t win,” said one angry voter. “That was a betrayal of our democratic rights.”
Some party members also blamed low voter turnout on widespread disillusionment, alleging that many voters stayed away due to fears of rigging and manipulation.
As investigations into Mwanja’s conduct proceed, the NRM Electoral Commission has reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and accountability in its internal elections.
“We will not allow our party’s credibility to be undermined by the actions of a few individuals,” said Mulindwa.
“Our goal is to restore trust among our members and ensure that all primaries are conducted fairly and professionally.”
