“Those who threaten NRM supporters should cease and offer an apology to the people they threaten.” People who use the phrase “yemwe abatusibyeko NRM” need to stop. Respect the decisions made by Ugandans.
Uganda’s Kampala Citing allegations of ballot stuffing, ballot box destruction, voter intimidation, and unlawful campaigning at polling places, President Museveni declared a “criminal and electoral investigation” into the Kawempe North by-election.
Museveni stressed that the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) will not accept electoral fraud in a statement released on Sunday, March 16, 2025, in which he said that those accountable for election malpractices would face consequences.
“It is the height of shallowness to believe that you can commit such crimes against the law and the people when the NRM is in power. We’ll hold everyone responsible,” Museveni said.
The President specifically cited instances in the Mbogo Mosque and Kazo-Angola zones where ballot boxes were purportedly destroyed in order to obstruct the counting of votes.
In support of his claim that electoral fraud is still a problem in Uganda, he also stated that a suspect was apprehended with 18 ballots.
Following accusations by opposition leaders that state-backed security forces were behind election-related violence and intimidation, Museveni ordered criminal and electoral investigations.
NRM has already been challenged to go to court by NUP Secretary General Lewis Rubongoya, who claims that a court case will only reveal state-sponsored election fraud.
“Allow them to appear in court,” Rubongoya said. “They will be providing us with a chance to reveal their excesses and election-rigging practices.”
Rubongoya rejected the NRM’s allegations that the opposition planned the violence that tainted the election, claiming that state agents were the ones who actually carried out the intimidation and irregularities.
Despite the constituency being a known opposition stronghold, he questioned how the NRM was able to garner over 1,000 votes in three polling stations where the NUP was in control and 8,000 votes overall.
Are we the ones who sent out RDCs to pursue NUP agents out of polling places? In reference to the actions of Resident District Commissioners (RDCs), who allegedly obstructed the voting process in favor of the ruling party, he continued, “They arrested and jailed many of our people.”
Election-related fraud
Museveni denounced election malpractice but cautioned NRM members against cheating, saying the party should not use the opposition’s rigging as an excuse.
“The NRM members should refrain from engaging in dishonesty by claiming that the opposition is doing it; they should do it themselves. Strive to end the Ugandan people’s lack of voting rights. The NRM went to the bush for that reason,” he stated.
In order to prevent election fraud, the president reaffirmed his support for biometric voter verification, stressing that only individuals who have been validated by biometric systems ought to be permitted to cast ballots.
He urged everyone in Uganda who wants a credible and peaceful election process to back this effort.
Museveni questioned why UPDF and Joint Anti-Terrorism Taskforce (JATT) forces had to be used for crowd control in the first place, despite acknowledging reports of harsh treatment of journalists and civilians by security forces during the election.
He attributed the security presence in Kawempe North to the “indiscipline of some opposition groups.”
“Why should the UPDF and JATT be used for crowd control?” should have been the initial query. Museveni inquired.
Referencing the November 2020 protests, the 2009 Kabaka riots, and the panga-wielding criminal gangs in Masaka, the President connected recent protests led by the opposition to previous unrest.
Noting that when he sent out commandos in 2020, they “crushed the insurrection,” he issued a warning that anyone who tries to incite violence will face harsh consequences.
The Internal Assessment of NRM
Museveni also recognized the NRM’s organizational shortcomings, notably its inability to successfully mobilize support and reach grassroots voters. He proposed that the NRM’s increasing popularity in Kazo-Angola and Mbogo Center as a result of government anti-poverty initiatives may have served as the impetus for the destruction of ballot boxes in those areas.
“CEC is fixing those errors. In an indication of a more comprehensive plan to fortify the party before the general elections in 2026, Museveni stated, “We had a meeting last Friday.”
With 17,764 votes, Elias Luyimbazi Nalukoola of the National Unity Platform (NUP) defeated Faridah Namabi Kigongo of the NRM, his closest opponent, who received 8,593 votes, to win the Kawempe North parliamentary by-election.
After MP Muhammad Ssegirinya passed away earlier this year, a by-election was held to fill the vacancy.
Hanifah Karadi Murerwa (Independent) received 381 votes, Sadat Mukiibi (FDC) received 239 votes, and Henry Mubiru Kasacca (DP) received 100 votes in the final count, which was revealed at Makerere University.
