Sembabule District NRM chairperson Major-General (Rtd) Phinehas Katirima has expelled two party leaders he accuses of promoting independent candidacies within the ruling party structures and misleading voters about alleged endorsements from senior officials.
Katirima made the announcement during an NRM mobilisation meeting in Mawogola South, where he said the members had been circulating claims that he and former Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kahamba Kutesa had approved their return to the political field as independents.
He described the statements as fabrications intended to confuse voters and weaken the NRM’s cohesion in the district.
“These statements are lies manufactured to confuse our people,” Katirima said as he declared the positions vacant and directed that the expelled members should no longer attend district-level NRM meetings.
His remarks were strongly supported by NRM flagbearers, including Dez Byuuma Oswaldo of Mawogola South and Mawogola West MP Hanifah Kawooya, who said independent candidates were creating unnecessary confusion among voters.
They argued that some independents were presenting themselves as individuals backed by Katirima and Kutesa, despite having left the party’s formal processes.
Those affected by the expulsion include former district NRM publicity secretary Denis Ddumba, now contesting for Mawogola South MP as an independent, and district NRM secretary Mary Begumisa, who is running for Woman MP. Both dismissed the action as politically motivated and said they would continue with their campaigns.
The crackdown comes as Sam Kahamba Kutesa increases his mobilisation activities in Mawogola South, a constituency where the National Unity Platform won in the 2021 elections.
Addressing supporters at St Peter Primary School playground in Mateete, Kutesa vowed that the opposition would be defeated in the 2026 race.
“This time NUP will collapse—it has gone. They will not get even a single vote here,” he said while urging voters to support NRM candidates across all positions.
Residents at the meeting raised concerns over persistent service delivery gaps, including lack of clean water, understaffed health centres, and challenges facing remote schools.
They asked the NRM leadership to prioritise these long-standing problems as it seeks renewed grassroots support.
Party leaders pledged to follow up on the issues, saying the NRM’s work in Sembabule would focus not only on political competition but also on improving service delivery and restoring public confidence in government programmes.
With the 2026 general elections approaching, the confrontations between NRM loyalists, independents, and the opposition signal a heightened political contest in Sembabule.