Kampala, Uganda: Iddi Bassajja, son of prominent businessman Hassan Basajjabalaba, Monday shifted the blame to King Ceasor Augustus Mulenga, accusing him of influencing the NRM Elections Tribunal panel hearing a petition challenging his controversial victory in the Bushenyi-Ishaka City MP primaries.
The petition, filed by Counsel Ndyakira Muhereza Nicholas aka Kinawolovu, an advocate and contestant in the July 2025 NRM primaries, alleges widespread voter intimidation, ballot stuffing, and outright bribery by Basajja’s camp, masterminded by his father and uncle, both stronghold NRM leaders in Bushenyi.
Ndyakira demanded that the tribunal nullify the results and declare a fresh election in the Bushenyi Municipality.
But as the NRM Elections Disputes Tribunal entered its sixth day of hearings on Monday, Basajja’s legal team disrupted proceedings, claiming that the tribunal chairperson is aligned to King Ceasor, who is also vying for a top seat in the NRM Entrepreneurs League against Basajja’s father, city tycoon Hassan Basajjabalaba.
“The Basajja camp claimed the Tribunal head is compromised by King Ceasor and demanded that the matter be heard by a neutral panel,” Ndyakira told DailyExpress on Monday evening after the tribunal decision to adjourn the hearing.
“Despite our readiness to proceed, the petition was adjourned. But we remain committed to seeing justice served and cleaning up the Bushenyi-Ishaka political trajectory,” he added.
The latest development in the Bushenyi-Ishaka petition marks a dramatic twist in what has become one of the most politically sensitive NRM intra-party battles this season, with underlying tensions between rival business factions; King Ceasor versus Basajjabalaba, now spilling into the tribunal corridors.
Ndyakira’s petition had already gained momentum after being among the few accepted by the tribunal for a formal hearing. He presented 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 the electorate contesting the results.
Observers say the growing entanglement between political and economic interests in the race for Bushenyi-Ishaka is emblematic of broader fractures emerging within the NRM power base in western Uganda. The move is also seen as a delay tactic by the Basajjabalas to buy more time and compromise panel officers to curtail truthful justice in the petition.
The NRM Electoral Commission has not yet commented on the claims against the Tribunal chairperson, but insiders say pressure is mounting on party leadership to uphold internal democracy, especially with several petitions already implicating well-connected individuals.
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