NRM rejects Kawempe North byelection results

________________

The ruling National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) top organ has publicly announced its rejection of the Kawempe by-election results declared on Friday morning.

Under the chairmanship of Gen. Yoweri Museveni, the President of the Republic of Uganda, the ruling party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) met on Friday, March 14, and resolved to instruct its lawyers to legally challenge the Kawempe by-election results in court to ensure fairness prevail.

Early Friday, the Electoral Commission declared National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate, Counsel Erias Luyimbazi Nalukoola, the winner of the polls.

The hotly contested seat fell vacant on January 9, 2025, following the death of Muhammad Ssegirinya, also a NUP member.

Nalukoola secured 17,764 votes, while his closest competitor, National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Faridah Nambi, garnered 8,593 votes.

President Yoweri Museveni handing the party's flag (symbol of power) to Nambi during a political rally in Kawempe on March 11. (Courtesy)

NRM's Nambi at the polling centre on Thursday. (Courtesy)

Other candidates received the following votes: Sadat Mukiibi (Forum for Democratic Change - FDC): 239 votes Henry Kasacca Mubiru (Democratic Party - DP): 100 votes Ismail Musiitwa (People’s Progressive Party - PPP): 39 votes Muhammed Lusswa Luwemba: 240 votes, Hanifah Karadi Murewa: 381 votes Muhamood Mutazindwa: 186 votes Moses Nsereko: 32 votes Stanley Edward Maitum Engena: 22 votes.

The results were declared today (March 14) by Henry Makabayi, the Kawempe Returning Officer, at Makerere University School of Public Health. Makabayi also reported that results from 15 polling stations were not returned due to the destruction of polling stations in Kazo Angola.   

See NRM full statement

Todwong flanked by members of the NRM party's electoral commission addressing the media in Kampala on Saturday. (Courtesy)

National Resistance Movement Secretariat; Saturday, March 15, 2025, byelections.

On Thursday, March 13, the byelection for Kawempe North constituency in Kawempe Division in Kampala Capital City was conducted by the Independent Electoral Commission.

A total of 10 candidates were nominated, including the NRM flag bearer, Ms Faridah Nambi Kigongo. 

Our immediate observation of this byelections exercise is that it was marred with violence, voter intimidation, and alleged rigging. Amidst this environment, the Independent Electoral Commission announced National Unity Platform’s candidate as the winner of the byelections, having garnered 17,764 votes as against National Resistance Movement’s candidate who polled 8,593.

Consequently, the National Resistance Movement’s Central Executive Committee, met yesterday under the Chairmanship of H.E. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni; and resolved to outrightly reject the results of the byelections as announced by the Independent Electoral Commission and will be legally challenging the results as announced.

Todwong addressing the media on Saturday. (Courtesy)

As mentioned above, there was violence meted out to supporters of the National Resistance Movement supporters, preventing them from exercising their constitutional right to vote the candidate of their choice. We are compiling statistics of our supporters who were brutalized by elements of those opposing our candidate. 

Very many of our supporters, mostly women and the elderly, were intimidated from going to cast their votes, in the process disenfranchising them from exercising their rights. 

Security personnel, whose role was to maintain peace and tranquillity before, during and in the immediate aftermath of the byelections were deliberately provoked by elements in the opposition and in the process, over-reacted and in some instances, arrested voters–using excessive force. Unfortunately, members of the 4^th estate were caught up in this provoked and excessive use of force. The National Resistance Movement apologizes to those Ugandans caught in this crossfire of provoked excessive use of force by security personnel. 

I assure the country that the Government is already investigating the use of excessive force by security forces on the population, including journalists who got injured, and those responsible will be brought to book.

There were also allegations of serious electoral malpractices by elements of both the opposition and some of our supporters during the byelections, including ballot stuffing, rigging, etc; which prompted the Independent Electoral Commission to nullify results from several polling stations–affecting a total of more than 50,000 votes which were not tallied as official records of total votes cast.

The cancelled polling stations represent more than 62% of the expected votes to be cast. This implies that the Independent Electoral Commission pronounced a winning candidate based on less than 40% of the expected votes to be cast–and thus affected the will and mandate of the population of Kawempe North constituency in a significant manner This is a case of complete disenfranchisement of our people–one of the reasons that the National Resistance Movement took to the bush in 1980.

We will not accept this level of disenfranchisement and will be legally challenging the declaration of the results of the byelections as declared by the Independent Electoral Commission.

Thank you.

Todwong Richard Awany

Rt. Hon. SECRETARY GENERAL