Africa-Press – Uganda. Zacharia Aharizira’s election as Mparo Town Council NRM Youth Chairperson has been nullified after a petition revealed his status as a serving civil servant, contravening Ugandan electoral law.
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Registrar’s office in Rukiga District has cancelled the May 16 election of Zacharia Aharizira as Mparo Town Council Youth Chairperson after confirming he was a serving public officer at the time of his nomination and victory.
Aharizira, who works as Principal Town Agent in Kabale Municipality, had won a tightly contested race against Christmas Jones Tumuramye by eight votes against six.
The vote was presided over by local registrar Charity Natukunda.
However, Tumuramye swiftly petitioned the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) and the District NRM Registrar, arguing that Aharizira’s participation violated the Political Parties and Organisations Act, which bars civil servants from engaging in partisan political activity.
Twaha Yaryakumanyi Selubowa, the NRM District Registrar, confirmed to this publication that Aharizira’s victory had been revoked after verifying his employment status.
“We found that he was indeed still a public servant during the election, which is contrary to the rules governing political participation,” Selubowa said in a phone interview.
Tumuramye welcomed the nullification but pressed for further accountability.
“We knew he was still working with Kabale Municipal Council, but he lied about it and manipulated the system to get nominated,” he said.
“The NRM Electoral Commission must vet candidates more rigorously in the future.”
He also called on the party’s top leadership to sanction civil servants who deliberately flout the law for political gain.
In a related twist, another Mparo-based NRM official is facing similar scrutiny. Amos Ainomugisha, who was elected NRM Secretary for Finance during the same May 16 exercise, is reportedly at risk of being disqualified after it emerged he is a porter at Mparo HC IV under the Rukiga District Local Government.
Ainomugisha, a resident of Kibale Village in Sindi Ward, contested and won the position without resigning his government job—contrary to statutory requirements.
While a formal announcement from the registrar is pending, officials have confirmed that he remains on the local government payroll.
Efforts to obtain a comment from Rukiga RDC Zadock Kamusiime were unsuccessful, as he declined to speak on the matter.
Ugandan law restricts public servants from partisan involvement to preserve the neutrality of the public service. Section 15 of the Political Parties and Organizations Act (2005) explicitly prohibits civil servants from promoting, founding, or becoming members of political parties.
Violation of this section can attract penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment.
The developments in Mparo underscore growing concerns over compliance with electoral laws at the grassroots level and highlight the need for stricter enforcement mechanisms within political parties and public institutions.
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