NRM’s Todwong downplays Kawempe North byelection loss
"We know for a fact that Kawempe North was run by an MP (the late Muhammad Ssegirinya) who wasn’t NRM. So, it wasn’t a do-or-die for NRM. We have lost elections before, but there is something deeper," said Todwong.
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) secretary general, Richard Todwong, said the by-election wasn’t a do-or-die for NRM. (File photo)
Umar Kashaka
Journalist @New Vision
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The National Resistance Movement (NRM) secretary general, Richard Todwong, has stated that the recent Kawempe North parliamentary by-election was not a do-or-die contest for the ruling party.
"We know for a fact that Kawempe North was run by an MP (the late Muhammad Ssegirinya) who wasn’t NRM. So, it wasn’t a do-or-die for NRM. We have lost elections before, but there is something deeper," he said.
Todwong made the remarks on Monday (March 17) during a morning television talk show in Kampala, where he appeared alongside the National Unity Platform (NUP) secretary general, David Lewis Rubongoya.
NUP’s candidate, Elias Luyimbazi Nalukoola, secured a landslide victory in the by-election, which was hotly contested and held under tight security on March 13.
He defeated his closest rival, Hajjat Faridah Nambi of NRM, by 9,178 votes in a race that featured 10 candidates from across the political spectrum.
However, the NRM has rejected the results, citing allegations of ballot-stuffing, result alterations, and destruction of ballot boxes at Kazo-Angola and Mbogo Mosque zone polling stations.
"I can’t rule out the possibility that NUP was the cause of the Kawempe North by-election violence. In the run-up to the election, they were behaving like a paramilitary operation. If our legal team finds evidence that is tangible enough, we shall go to court. Right now, we are gathering evidence," Todwong said.
He questioned why NUP supporters would be afraid to vote due to security deployments.
"NUP [leaders] are saying their supporters were scared to come out and vote due to the mambas. We are asking, why should people be scared to come out and vote? The audit we are calling for will also help NUP," he said.
The NRM leader also suggested that his party was performing well in polling stations where incidents occurred.
"At the end of the day, we want the truth to come out. Who beat up Ugandans? Who was stuffing ballots? There must be fairness in all this. NRM is in government but not the government. Those two are different," he said.
Todwong stressed that the priority now is to ensure such incidents do not recur.
"What we are calling for is a clean-up so that what happened in Kawempe North never happens again. We are calling for a forensic audit. Everyone must be investigated—NUP, NRM, security forces, and the Electoral Commission," he said.
"NRM doesn’t deploy the military during elections. So, everyone must account for their actions in this election," he added.
However, Rubongoya fired back, saying, "The regime is very shameless. After doing everything they did to us, they are now complaining. This is shamelessness."
Since the 2021 general elections, NRM has won seven of the 12 by-elections held. It has lost three to the opposition and another two to candidates affiliated with the party.
On Sunday (March 16), President Yoweri Museveni, who also serves as NRM’s national chairman, issued a statement condemning the violence that marred the by-election.
He alleged that certain individuals deliberately disrupted voting at Kazo-Angola and Mbogo Mosque zone polling stations.
"Some people really miscalculate. To think that you can commit such crimes against the law and the people when the NRM is in charge of the country is the highest form of shallowness. We shall hold everybody accountable," Museveni warned.