Bushenyi, Uganda: The NRM Chairman for Bushenyi District, Al-Hajja Hassan Basajjabalaba, is facing a storm after Independent MP aspirant Ndyakira Nicholas Muhereza, popularly known as Kinawolovu, issued a damning demand notice accusing him of using a presidential rally to spread “falsified, malicious and politically motivated” claims that he had stepped down from the Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality parliamentary race.
According to the notice dated December 05, served by Interlink Associated Advocates, Basajjabalaba is accused of using the ruling party’s presidential rally in Kizinda to publicly declare that Ndyakira had stepped down from the 2026 parliamentary race — an announcement made before thousands of residents, the NRM leadership, and the National Chairman of the party, H.E. President Museveni himself.
But Ndyakira’s lawyers, led by Isaac Murindwa, say the announcement was not only false, it was also strategically timed. According to them, Basajjabalaba “asserted as a matter of fact” that Ndyakira was no longer a candidate, a claim the aspirant’s legal team describes as reckless, defamatory and deliberately intended to derail his campaign.
They further allege that Basajabalaba, who has long wielded influence within Bushenyi’s NRM structures, exploited the national platform to boost the chances of his son, Hajj Idi Basajja, the NRM flag bearer for the Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality seat, the same position Ndyakira is heavily contesting.
“The statements were false, reckless, defamatory and intended to injure our client’s political credibility,” the lawyers write, arguing that Basajabalaba’s declaration misled the electorate and embarrassed the aspirant in the presence of the Head of State.
The legal notice details the impact: confusion among voters, messages and calls demanding clarity, emergency radio announcements, vehicle drives to undo the damage, financial loss, and “mental anguish” suffered by the aspirant and his supporters.
Since the rally, Ndyakira has had to publicly reaffirm that he is firmly in the 2026 race.
And his legal team is now demanding a full and public apology from Basajjabalaba within three days, matching the visibility of the defamatory statement, immediate cessation of further false claims, and a whopping Shs 5,000,000,000 (Five Billion Shillings) in general, aggravated and punitive damages, plus Shs 50 million in legal fees.
Failure to comply, the notice warns, will trigger court action “at your own peril, cost and embarrassment.”
This escalating feud exposes deep fractures in Bushenyi’s NRM structures, where political loyalties have hardened since the divisive primaries. Analysts say the latest episode reflects high-stakes manoeuvring as veterans like Basajabalaba attempt to secure the political futures of their preferred candidates, including family members.
Neither Basajabalaba nor his son Idi Basajja had provided a comment by press time.
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