Africa-Press – Uganda. In a stunning political upset, Metrin Nanzala Musufwa, a teacher and first-term district councillor, has defeated nine male candidates—among them incumbent legislator Apolo Masika—to win the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag for Namisindwa County ahead of the 2026 general elections.
Musufwa, who represents Tsekululu and Bungati sub-counties on the Namisindwa District Council, secured a commanding 28,108 votes, far ahead of Masika’s 15,477.
Other contenders included Wilbrode Nakhabala (10,479), Gerald Musamali (9,004), John Bosco Wopowu (4,317), Joram Katami (4,690), Rogers Kutosi (3,123), Samuel Situma (1,718), Paul Isaac Khaukha (466), and James Wanzala (252).
The result marks a seismic shift in the county’s political landscape, where direct MP contests have traditionally been male-dominated.
Musufwa’s win was fueled by strong grassroots support in the upper belt sub-counties—including Bumumali, Luwa, Mukoto, Namabya, Namisindwa Town Council, and her home areas of Tsekululu and Bungati.
Her rivals, all hailing from the lower belt, split their votes and failed to match her momentum.
Speaking after her victory, Musufwa credited her win to community trust built through years of local service, despite lacking financial muscle.
“I had no agents in several polling stations, but people stood up for me. They voted, protected the vote, and believed in me,” she said.
Her entry into the race was unplanned. According to Musufwa, she decided to contest in January after an unnamed MP allegedly blocked an NGO project she had lobbied for her community.
“That experience broke me,” she recalled.
“To see someone frustrate a project meant to help the community made me realize that I needed power—not for myself, but to serve my people better.”
Musufwa chose to contest the constituency seat rather than the Woman MP slot, where six other women were battling for the NRM flag.
Her bold decision to go head-to-head with nine male contenders paid off and has since unsettled the district’s political elite.
Incumbent MP Masika has already announced he will run as an independent in the general election.
“He told me face to face that we will meet again in the general election, but I am not shaken,” Musufwa said. “I respect him—he’s the age of my father—but I advise him to back down and let the people decide without division.”
If she wins the general election, Musufwa will join a small but growing cohort of women who have broken through Uganda’s patriarchal electoral barriers, particularly in the Bugisu sub-region where constituency-level MP seats have long been male-held.
Her win also reflects a broader voter shift across Bugisu, where the NRM electorate has largely turned against incumbents this cycle, citing frustration with poor service delivery and broken promises.
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