Csl Ndyakira ‘Kinawolovu’ seeks fresh elections in Bushenyi-Ishaka, says Basajjabalaba rigged for son Iddi

Bushenyi, Uganda: Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality NRM Parliamentary aspirant, Counsel Ndyakira Nicholas Muhereza has asked the NRM Elections Tribunal to nullify results from last week’s primaries that declared Iddi Basajja as winner, citing gross irregularities, bribery, intimidation, and vote rigging.

In his petition dated July 22, 2025, Ndyakira, popularly known as Kinawolovu, accused Bushenyi District NRM Chairperson Hajj Hassan Basajjabalaba of openly abusing his office by lobbying for votes in favour of his son, Basajja Iddi, in clear violation of party regulations on impartiality.

Ndyakira’s petition, now lodged before the NRM Tribunal established by President Museveni to handle electoral fraud in the just-concluded primaries, details what he called a “systematically orchestrated electoral fraud” including the use of security operatives to intimidate his polling agents, destruction of campaign posters, bribery of voters through LC1 officials, and alleged smuggling of voters from outside the municipality, including students of Kampala International University.

“The NRM Chairperson was moving through polling stations distributing money using chairpersons at the local level. This is unacceptable, illegal, and an affront to the NRM Constitution,” Ndyakira wrote in his petition, seen by DailyExpress.

He further faulted the returning officer for declaring results from a process his agents were unlawfully excluded from, citing restricted access to polling stations and the tallying center.

At the heart of Ndyakira’s complaint is a demand for the NRM Tribunal to nullify the July 17th election and organize a fresh, transparent election.

Ndyakira’s petition is accompanied by a raft of evidence including video recordings of alleged bribery, intimidation, blocked tally center access, and defaced posters, as well as police reports and a voters’ petition from Bushenyi residents contesting the results.

Despite the contested results announced last Thursday declaring Bassaja Iddi winner, Ndyakira contends that key polling stations, including Ruhandagazi, St. Kagwa, and Kibaale B, did not vote, disenfranchising hundreds of voters.

“This was not an election, it was a theft,” Ndyakira’s allies told DailyExpress on Tuesday after formally presenting the petition to the NRM Tribunal stationed at party headquarters at Plot 10, Kyadondo Road in Kampala.

Ndyakira’s petition now joins a growing list of complaints the NRM Tribunal is grappling with countrywide, as President Museveni himself acknowledged widespread malpractice in the primaries and established a special legal committee to handle such disputes.

It remains to be seen whether the Tribunal will overturn Iddi Basajja’s flag victory or uphold the controversial results as Dr Tanga Odoi and his electoral officers continue to face the wrath of mismanged primaries.

By press time on Tuesday evening, over 100 petitions from aggrieved aspirants, including ministers and several incumbents, had been filed before the tribunal which is yet to announce a date to start listening to the complaints.