Africa-Press – Uganda. Mounting pressure is being placed on the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Election Tribunal as voters in Mbarara demand the nullification of recent primary election results, citing widespread irregularities and fraud.
The outcry comes amid a crackdown by state agencies following President Yoweri Museveni’s sharp condemnation of malpractice in last week’s party primaries.
President Museveni, who also serves as the NRM National Chairman, penned two strongly-worded letters this week, denouncing the manner in which the elections were conducted.
In a message on Tuesday, Museveni lashed out at what he termed “self-seekers” who he accused of undermining the party’s credibility and the legacy of the Movement.
“These people do not care about the reputation of our party and the glorious heritage of the forces that fought to establish democracy in this country. This is a heritage of martyrs and heroes — not self-seekers who would, at the cost of their lives, assault machine-guns of the enemy,” Museveni wrote.
He said that security agencies, particularly the Internal Security Organisation (ISO), had already swung into action.
At least eight individuals from various districts — including Mayuge, Buyende, Kapchorwa, Pader, Oyam, Rwampara, Kareenga, and Mbarara — have been arrested for allegedly altering election tallies.
The arrests have intensified calls for accountability in affected regions. In Mbarara City, voters have rallied behind the president’s stance, demanding immediate action by the NRM Tribunal to nullify what they describe as a sham election.
“In Booma Cell, we saw Robert Rukaari lead by several votes. Declaring Bakashaba winner is daylight robbery,” said Natukunda Grace. “Why arrest those who altered tallies in Pader and Rwampara but delay nullifying Mbarara’s fraud?”
Adson Oketcho, the LC1 Chairperson for Kakiika Cell in Kamukuzi Ward, Mbarara City North, recounted what he described as a compromised voting process.
“Several voters were locked out by young girls stationed at the entrance, determining who entered and who didn’t. Some people were physically forced into the lines of other candidates by groups of four or more individuals. This happened due to the absence of official party supervision — something we had in previous elections.”
Willis Rushamata, a resident of Nkokonjeru, also voiced frustration.
“They announced that Bakashaba won at 9 PM, but by 5 PM, everyone knew Rukaari had 60%. How can this be explained?”
Robert Rukaari, who contested against Bakashaba and four other candidates — including former MP Michael Tusiime — has joined dozens of other aspirants across the country in petitioning the NRM Tribunal over what they term widespread electoral irregularities.
Rukaari, a member of the NRM’s top decision-making body, the Central Executive Committee (CEC), maintained that the issues were not systemic but rather driven by individuals.
“The president rightly called these isolated mistakes by self-seekers. Our party systems are strong, but individuals polluted the process. These are individual criminal acts, not systemic failures. Our legal tribunal will restore integrity.”
As the NRM Tribunal begins to review petitions and evidence from across the country, all eyes remain on how it will respond to growing grassroots pressure, particularly in hotly contested areas like Mbarara.
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