Jinja NRM polls: MP Kintu challenges Batwala victory as district chairperson
In his May 26, 2025, petition to NRM electoral commission chairperson Dr Tanga Odoi, Kintu lists five grounds stating how the May 23, 2025, Jinja NRM structure elections for the position of chairperson breached party electoral laws.
Moses Batwala whose victory was challenged by Alex Brandon Kintu after scoring 165 votes in the race. (Photos by Jackie Nambogga)
By Jackie Nambogga
Journalists @New Vision
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Jinja's Kagoma North legislator Alex Brandon Kintu has challenged the victory of Moses Batwala as the area National Resistance Movement (NRM) party district chairperson claiming he flouted several guidelines to be elected.
In his May 26, 2025, petition to NRM electoral commission chairperson Dr Tanga Odoi, Kintu lists five grounds stating how the May 23, 2025, Jinja NRM structure elections for the position of chairperson breached party electoral laws.
The three-page appeal says Batwala unlawfully camped and secluded a large section of the would-be voters in his unknown location and only made them available on the voting day.
Despite reporting this conduct earlier to NRM district registrar Paul Kiwanuka Kabale and the presiding officer, he said no action was taken.
According to Kintu, Batwala’s conduct violated Article 9 (1) rule 3 (f) section 10 and rule 36© of the NRM Constitution and election guidelines as it unfairly disadvantaged other contestants.
He describes this as a corrupt practice and bribery, which is prohibited and was also a violation of rule 9 (iii) of giving all candidates equal treatment by the NRM’s EC.
He adds that as a result of auxiliary to the camping of voters, Batwala bribed and offered incentives such as physical cash, accommodation facilities and meals with intent of inducing them for votes.
The petitioner says these inducements and bribery refrained other candidates in the race from being voted for.
Steven Ngobi Mwesigye had expressed interest to compete for the slot with Batwala who is also the Jinja district LC5 chairperson.
Kintu, who is also the chairperson of NRM in his constituency, says there was interference evidenced by partisan security agents and all the area Resident District Commissioners (RDCs).
He explains that the independence and sanctity of the NRM EC was desecrated by the actions of the registrar who he said permitted Police officers led by area district Police commander Morris Oyee and that the RDCs office over-rode the mandate of EC hence interfering with its management process.
Kintu alleges that these were recruited by Batwala as they gave directives on how the process was handled and manhandled some of the voters who stood out to object their unlawful interference.
Further, the legislator avers how the voters' register of the district electoral college was manipulated by the registrar under the respondent’s influence.
Kagoma north MP, Alex Brandon Kintu (centre) with Mwesigyei's team complaining to Jinja deputy RDC, Andrew Ntange before boycotting the district NRM exercise.
He says this was to the detriment of other candidates as persons perceived and known to be not in open support of him were excluded from the register while non-qualified persons were unlawfully enrolled on the register.
Kintu also alleges how Kiwanuka submitted a falsified results return form declaring that Mwesigye had polled zero while Batwala had scored 165 votes.
The petition, which is copied to NRM’s director legal affairs, stipulates that no voting took place because Mwesigye wanted Kiwanuka to address the earlier raised grievances before heading to the polls.
That Mwesigye requested for an opportunity to converse for support by putting forward his manifesto to the voters who had been availed at the venue on the polling day in vain.
Therefore, Kintu requests Tanga to cause another election that would be presided over by a neutral officer to fully observe and uphold the ideals of their party’s integrity, transparency and adherence to the law.
“The return that there was an election for chairperson NRM Jinja district is not only false but misleading and we call upon your office to ignore the same and cause another election,” he prays.
“On my own behalf as NRM chairperson Kagoma and all other law abiding NRM members in the area, I hereby present this petition seeking your urgent intervention and causing a meeting where all the above issues should be addressed for purposes of ensuring party cohesion and unity ahead of the main elections,” reads the petition.
To affirm his grounds, Kintu attached some documents, which he said could be helpful to appreciate the petition along with witnesses who he said were ready to testify about the excesses.
Ready for a showdown
When contacted, Batwala said he was ready and waiting for a second showdown if Kintu’s camp which belonged to Mwesigye was not satisfied with the initial defeat.
“I defeated a combination of three legislators, Kintu, his Kagoma counterpart Moses Muwanika Walyomu and the area woman MP, Loy Katali who ganged up against me,” he said on May 27, 2025.
Whereas Walyomu and Kintu were present at Buwenge Parents Primary School where the election took place, Katali didn’t turn up and it is not clear if she was against Batwala.
Batwala sympathised with Kintu saying he lost respect for him after abandoning his electorates by not standing with them during trying moments whenever they lost their dear ones.
He cited his uncle, Moses Mulambe who used to represent Kintu at burials where he would contribute condolence fees but when he lost his mother Miska Mulambe the MP never turned up asking why he still struggled with him.
However, Kintu hit back at Batwala urging him to concentrate on local politics and leave legislative issues to him.