By Our Reporter | The Eye Media
The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has indefinitely suspended the highly contested district chairperson elections in Sembabule District after sharp divisions between rival camps erupted over the authenticity of the party registers.
The elections, which were initially scheduled for May 30, were halted following an emergency meeting at the NRM headquarters in Kampala on May 28. The session was chaired by NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson, Dr. Tanga Odoi, and attended by key political and security stakeholders from Sembabule.
At the heart of the dispute are two rival factions—one led by State Minister for Health (General Duties), Anifa Kawooya, and the other by retired Gen. Phinehas Katirima, both eyeing the coveted NRM district chairperson seat.
Each camp accused the other of falsifying the delegates’ registers, further deepening tensions that had already marred the local elections.
“We are going to first clean up the NRM registers to ensure they are acceptable and genuine before conducting another election for the Sembabule district chairperson,” Dr. Odoi told reporters after the meeting.
The session was attended by NRM MPs from Sembabule, aspiring parliamentary candidates, LC5 chairperson hopefuls, and the district security team—including the RDC, DPC, and district internal security officer.
In addition, Dr. Odoi directed that elections for the youth and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) at sub-county level—which earlier flopped in Ntuusi Town Council—must be concluded first to produce a complete list of delegates.
The previous attempt to hold elections for these positions on May 19 ended in controversy after voters accused Michael Ninsiima, registrar for Ntuusi Town Council, of alleged collusion with certain candidates. The situation was further aggravated when UPDF soldiers allegedly assaulted voters at the polling venue.
In one dramatic twist, Richard Senkusu, the PWD candidate for chairperson, was reportedly in police custody on polling day following his arrest during earlier clashes at Bwogero Parish.
Violence also rocked the first round of the NRM district chairperson polls on May 23, held at Sembabule District playground, where clashes between the rival camps forced police to block access to the venue. The exercise ended in chaos, with Gen. Katirima controversially declaring himself winner, claiming support from 380 out of 631 delegates.
Meanwhile, other district party positions were filled unopposed prior to the suspension: ✅ Aine Godfrey Kaguta Sodo (President Museveni’s brother) was declared district vice chairperson unopposed.
✅ Mary Begumisa (Sembabule Woman MP) secured the post of general secretary unopposed.
✅ Mawogola North MP Shartis Musherure Kutesa took the position of secretary for finance unopposed.
Dr. Odoi has issued a stern warning to party leaders and members in Sembabule, saying if they fail to resolve the disputes and elect their district leaders by end of June, the elections will be pushed back by an entire year.
To restore order, NRM EC has scheduled today for party delegates to scrutinize the registers, and any objections must be submitted to the commission in writing by June 4.
The suspension of the Sembabule polls comes amid wider concerns of violence and irregularities in NRM’s ongoing internal elections across the country. So far, three people have been killed in election-related clashes in different areas.
The party’s grassroots elections, which began on May 6, will culminate in the selection of parliamentary flag bearers on July 16.
