Africa-Press – Uganda. A wave of withdrawals has hit the National Resistance Movement (NRM) primaries in Mubende District, with at least six aspirants—three for parliamentary seats, two for district chairperson, and one for mayor—pulling out of the race, citing concerns about the competence and impartiality of the newly appointed district registrar.
Among the prominent figures stepping aside is Hajj Bashir Lubega Ssempa, the sitting Member of Parliament for Mubende Municipality, who announced he would not contest in the party’s primaries after five years of service under the NRM banner.
“We had Moses Kiberu, a man with a master’s degree who handled elections professionally,” Ssempa said.
“But our newly appointed registrar, Amos Atulinda, who was previously a village registrar and is backed by questionable individuals, cannot conduct free and fair elections.”
Vincent Kashaija, who had declared interest in the Buwekula County parliamentary seat, also announced his withdrawal, echoing similar frustrations.
“I do not want to put my people in trouble due to the incompetence of the district registrar—a Senior Four dropout who was just a village registrar and now holds a key office,” Kashaija stated.
He further alleged manipulation during previous district party structure elections, accusing unnamed political figures of orchestrating chaos.
“You all witnessed the chaos caused by him during the party elections. I cannot participate in an election managed by the same individual,” he said, vowing to run in the general elections despite losing the Shs3 million nomination fee.
The other NRM aspirants who have pulled out include:
Joan Komugisha, aspirant for Mubende Municipality MP seat
Abdul Nsubuga, aspirant for District Chairperson
Sheif Magezi Nsereko, former NRM district secretary, vying for District Chairperson
Denis Zziwa, aspirant for Mayor of Mubende Municipality
In response, Twaha Mukomazi, NRM’s district publicity secretary, acknowledged the grievances and urged calm as the party moves to address the issues.
“The party leadership in Mubende is committed to holding free and fair elections,” Mukomazi assured. “No one will be declared a winner unless they have the majority vote.”
He added that a joint meeting involving the registrar and all candidates would be held ahead of the primaries to ensure transparency and credibility in the process.
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