A section of National Resistance Movement (NRM) Members of Parliament has advised the party leadership against petitioning the courts to challenge the outcome of the Kawempe North by-election, arguing that the ruling party has no solid ground to overturn the loss.
Buyaga West Constituency Member of Parliament Barnabas Tinkasimire, has openly stated that NRM should accept defeat rather than risk exposing itself to further scrutiny over the violence that marred the election.
He joins other NRM voices such as that of Ofwono Opondo in rejecting the idea of challenging the result in court.
Opondo, a former spokesperson of the ruling party and now executive director of the Uganda Media Centre, has said doing so would only promote the opposition ahead of the 2026 general elections.
MP Tinkasimire pointed out that incidents of brutality against journalists and voters, which were widely linked to security forces, have already painted the party in a bad light—making a court challenge unviable.
Tinkasimire said: "NRM Has No Case in Kawempe"
The legislator made it clear that pushing for a court petition would be a waste of time and resources.
"We have to be honest with ourselves as a party. The kind of violence that happened during the election—journalists being beaten, voters being intimidated—was linked to NRM. How do you then go to court and expect to be listened to? We have no case in Kawempe," he said.
Tinkasimire, known for his independent stance despite being an NRM MP, warned that the ruling party’s continued disregard for urban voters was pushing them further into the hands of the opposition.
"NRM needs to accept that places like Kawempe have long moved away from us. We have failed to convince the voters with real solutions, and instead, we are using force. That strategy is not working," he added.
Kawempe North remains a stronghold of the opposition, with the National Unity Platform (NUP) dominating the political landscape. Even with the ruling party deploying extensive resources, it failed to make significant inroads.
Tinkasimire acknowledged this, saying that NRM’s failure to address key urban issues—such as unemployment, poor service delivery, and human rights concerns—was the reason for its repeated losses in Kampala constituencies.
"People in Kawempe don’t vote based on handouts of sugar and soap. They know their rights. They want jobs, proper roads, and good healthcare. If NRM is serious about winning in urban areas, we need to rethink our entire approach," he explained.
Tinkasimire believes the party should instead focus on long-term reforms. "Instead of embarrassing ourselves in court, we should go back to the drawing board and address the real issues that matter to voters," he advised.
With the by-election concluded, the party is at a crossroads. Will NRM listen to voices like Tinkasimire’s and rethink its urban strategy, or will it proceed with a court petition that could backfire?