Wakiso, Uganda: Newly elected NRM flag bearer for Kira Municipality Councilor seat, Hon. Byomuhangi Bosco, alias Headmaster, has blamed the irregularities in the National Resistance Movement (NRM) primaries for undermining strong party candidates and opening the door to electoral sabotage.
Byomuhangi, who won the ruling party flag for Direct Councilor representing Mbalwa and Buyinja on the NRM ticket, pointed to inflated registers, multiple voter registrations, and infiltration by opposition supporters as key factors that skewed the July 17 parliamentary primaries.
“These anomalies skewed the results in favor of certain candidates. The party must urgently address this before future elections,” he told DailyExpress in an exclusive interview at his Mbalwa-based Valley Side Junior School on Monday morning.
He alleged that some voters were allowed to cast ballots at multiple polling stations, while others, believed to be opposition sympathizers, were included in the yellow books to influence outcomes.
“The opposition took advantage and lined up behind weaker NRM candidates to give their own an easy ride in the general elections,” Bosco said, warning that this tactic could cost the party key seats in 2026.
He criticized the lining-up voting method and called for the return of the secret ballot. “The secret ballot would have been a better option because it is not predictable. This lining-up method creates gaps between candidates and supporters, which hurts party cohesion.”
Bosco also cited the controversial practice of shifting vote tallying from polling stations to sub-county level. “Candidates who led at polling stations lost when tallying was changed to sub-counties. That format undermines grassroots democracy,” he noted.
To gauge the best candidates, Bosco said performance on the ground prior to the election period should be the benchmark, not money or political maneuvers. “Look at what one has done in their area—schools built, roads fixed, community services—not just slogans.”
Arrests Made Over NRM Primary Fraud
President Yoweri Museveni on Saturday confirmed that 333 individuals have been arrested, with 48 already charged in connection with irregularities in the party’s July 17 parliamentary flagbearer elections. The crackdown followed Museveni’s directive to clean up NRM’s internal processes.
“Up to now, a total of 333 persons have been arrested and 48 of these have been charged in court, 13 of whom are NRM district registrars,” the President stated. “They are to face prosecution in connection with, mainly, altering the results.”
NRM Tribunal Begins Hearings for 381 Petitions
Meanwhile, the NRM Electoral Disputes Tribunal officially begins sittings today, July 29, to resolve over 381 petitions arising from the disputed primaries.
The tribunal, headed by legal expert John Musime, has been split into eight panels, each with three legal professionals, to handle 56 cases daily until September 1, 2025.
“Everything will be rectified. It is just the facts and evidence that will conclude the matter,” Museveni emphasized last week, warning party leaders to uphold integrity or face political consequences.
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