Africa-Press – Uganda. State Minister for Housing Persis Namuganza has threatened to quit the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party following disputed primary elections in Namutumba District.
The minister has accused senior party electoral officials, including NRM Electoral Commission chairperson Tanga Odoi, of orchestrating a fraudulent process that denied her and other contenders rightful victories.
Speaking to her supporters at Namutumba Town Council headquarters on Friday, a furious Namuganza demanded President Museveni’s immediate intervention, warning that she may contest the 2026 general elections as an independent or on another party’s ticket if the matter is not resolved.
“Speaker Anita Among and Tanga Odoi were behind all the confusion,” Namuganza said.
“The registrars and security were taking orders from them. Some of us are not going to meet Tanga because we know you [the voters] are our bosses—not him.”
Namuganza, who was contesting for the Bukono County NRM flag, claimed she had won the race but was unfairly edged out in favour of Emmanuel Maganda.
She also condemned what she described as attempts by the party’s electoral officials to impose incumbent Woman MP Mariam Naigaga, whom she said lost the race to Betty Nakisita.
In a surprising twist, the NRM electoral registrar for Namutumba, Richard Mwanja, announced on Saturday that the initial declaration of Paul Akamba as winner for the Busiki Constituency was a mistake.
He instead awarded the flag to Joel Waiswa Azalwa, citing final tally results which gave Azalwa 35,249 votes (46%) over Akamba’s 34,269 votes (45%).
“This is final. No one shall overturn this declaration which I have made this Saturday at 9:38am,” Mwanja said.
But the reversals and disputed declarations have only deepened the crisis in the district, with supporters accusing Mwanja and other NRM officials of gross electoral malpractice.
Following Namuganza’s remarks, angry supporters took to the streets in Namutumba town, blocking traffic and burning yellow NRM T-shirts in protest.
Demonstrators blamed the district’s electoral commission, led by Mwanja, for “rigging from above” and frustrating popular candidates.
“There was confusion in Kibaale Sub-county and we agreed not to consider any results from there,” said Nakisita.
“But when the tallying did not favour her, the registrar was ordered from above to declare her. If the president doesn’t act, I will also leave the party.”
Namuganza warned that if President Museveni, who is also the party’s national chairman, does not intervene to nullify the “fraudulent declarations,” her supporters should boycott the forthcoming LC5 primaries.
“These actions are being fueled by the so-called Team Mulamu with the intention of undermining the Busoga strongholds,” she claimed.
“But we will not sit back and watch. We call on the people to rise up against those who are fighting their own.”
The chaotic scenes in Namutumba are the latest in a series of contentious NRM primary races across the country, raising questions about the party’s internal democratic processes ahead of the 2026 general elections.
As tensions remain high, it is unclear whether President Museveni will act to resolve the situation or allow the current declarations to stand.
Either way, the fallout from Namutumba’s disputed primaries may have lasting implications on NRM’s cohesion in the Busoga sub-region.
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