Sembabule, Uganda: A fresh political showdown is taking shape in Sembabule District after Shartsi Kutesa Musherure, the incumbent Mawogola North MP, Sunday announced withdrawal of her candidature from the upcoming NRM primaries, paving the way for President Museveni’s cousin brother, Godfrey Aine Kaguta, commonly known as Sodo, to claim the ruling party’s flag.
Sodo Kaguta confirmed on Thursday that he had received the green light from President Museveni to contest in the hotly watched Mawogola North NRM parliamentary race ahead of 2026, and expressed full confidence in victory.
“I talked to President Museveni, and he agreed. Now, he knows that I am going to contest in Mawogola North,” Sodo told journalists shortly after his nomination.
“I remember in 2021 when I was stepping down, he [Museveni] told me that ‘now you leave Hon. Shartsi to go through, but next, you can also come.’ So, what I promised my people of Mawogola North, I am coming back.”
His declaration came just days before Musherure, daughter of former Minister Sam Kutesa, withdrew from the race on Sunday morning, ending speculation about a possible repeat of the violent intra-family standoff that marred the 2021 primaries.
Back in 2021, the battle for Mawogola North became one of the most contested and bloody fights within the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), pitting two close relatives of Uganda’s political elite against each other.
The contest, then, triggered by the retirement of long-serving area MP and Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa, saw Musherure, his daughter, face off with Sodo.
That election cycle was tainted by ballot theft, violent confrontations, arrests, and serious security deployments across Sembabule. It eventually took the intervention of President Museveni at State House, Entebbe, to calm the storm.
Sodo was persuaded to step down, allowing Musherure to run unopposed under the party ticket, which she later won.
This time, however, Musherure’s voluntary exit has created a smoother path for Sodo’s long-anticipated return. “I can assure you, what happened in 2021 will not happen now. I am going to win the primaries,” Sodo said on Thursday, signaling a more confident and peaceful campaign ahead of the 2025 party primaries.
With Musherure now out, Sodo’s candidacy is expected to be unchallenged within the NRM unless a new contender emerges before the official close of nominations.
It is not yet clear whether Musherure will attempt an independent run or retire from elective politics altogether, but she thanked the Mawogola North MP Constituents, in her Sunday statement, for giving her a chance to represent them in the 11th parliament, leaving them in suspense about what could be her next move.
The development not only shifts the political landscape in Mawogola North but also adds to the growing family-dominated power plays shaping the NRM’s internal electoral roadmap toward 2026.
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