Kawempe byelection: NRM's Nambi promises transformation

By Umaru Kashaka  

KAMPALA - National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag-bearer Hajjat Faridah Nambi says she is delighted to hold the ruling party's flag in the forthcoming Kawempe North parliamentary election.

She made the remarks on February 27, 2025, shortly after being nominated as an NRM candidate by Electoral Commission returning officer for Kampala Henry Makabayi.

“I have the pleasure to hold the NRM flag in this by-election and promise to work together with the people of Kawempe North constituency to ensure the social and economic transformation of our people,” she said.

Nambi, the daughter of NRM first vice-chairperson Al-Hajji Moses Kigongo argued that Kawempe North has various challenges that require a ruling party person to lobby the government.

“I present myself as the solution to those problems,” she added while addressing the media.

Her nomination was witnessed by the NRM director of mobilisation, Rosemary Seninde, and other NRM leaders.

The byelection, which is scheduled for March 13, 2025, will be held to replace deceased National Unity Platform (NUP) party MP Muhammad Ssegirinya.

Others that have been nominated include city lawyer Elias Luyimbazi Nalukoola (NUP), Hajjat Hanifah Karadi (independent), musician Sadat Mukiibi aka Khalifa Aganaga (Forum for Democratic Change) and Lusswa Mohammad Luwemba, a former personal assistant to Ssegirinya, among others.

However, the main battle is between Nalukoola and Nambi, who demonstrated her political weight in the 2021 Kampala Woman MP race, where she finished second under NRM despite the NUP wave that swept through the capital.

Key issues many voters want to see addressed in the constituency by the next MP include floods, poor drainage systems and poor roads that have been eaten up by gullies.

The constituency lacks proper sanitation, especially in the slums of Kyebando. Many pit latrines are opened up in the drainage channels whenever it rains, posing huge health and environmental challenges.