Lwengo, Uganda: A political mobilisation rally organized by the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) MPs under the “Buganda for Museveni” campaign was dramatically cut short on Sunday after a swarm of bees stormed the venue, disrupting a scheduled live broadcast of the President and triggering a chaotic evacuation.
The event, held at Mbiriizi Seed School in Lwengo District, was organised by Woman MP Cissy Namujju and attended by several ruling party MPs and ministers, who had gathered to kickstart a Buganda-region drive to support President Museveni’s 2026 re-election bid.
Just before a planned virtual address from the President, a cloud of bees appeared from nowhere and descended on one of the journalists’ cameras, forcing people to flee the venue while broadcasters were forced to cut the live feed as cameras and equipment were abandoned mid-transmission.
Moments later, organizers came and announced that the rally had been “postponed due to an uncontrollable natural disturbance.”
What people say
But in Buganda, where bees hold symbolic meaning in traditional belief systems, the incident has taken on a spiritual dimension. Cultural elders described the occurrence as a sign of ancestral disapproval.
“This was not just nature,” said Ssalongo Mwanje, a respected elder in Kiwangala. “Bees are messengers. In our culture, such an invasion at a political function is a spiritual warning.”
On social media, many young Baganda used the hashtag #BeesRejectNRM to mock the rally’s collapse, with one viral post reading: “Even nature is tired.”
The disrupted rally was part of an NRM campaign to reclaim political ground in Buganda after President Museveni’s underwhelming performance in the region during the 2021 elections. The campaign has already sparked debate and criticism from opposition figures and cultural purists.
While some NRM officials downplayed the incident, dismissing it as sabotage or mere coincidence, the symbolism has resonated widely in a region where ancestral signs remain culturally significant.
Police had not issued a formal statement by press time.
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