A storm is brewing within the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party in Katakwi District after the nomination of Mr. Ikabat Charles, the LCIII chairperson of Okore Sub County, to contest for the veterans’ representative slot in the district’s NRM structure.
Ikabat will face none other than Uganda’s Vice President, H.E. Jessica Alupo Epel, in what is shaping up to be a highly contentious political showdown.
The nomination, officially declared by the Katakwi District NRM Elections Commission headed by Mr. James Otilem, has sparked a flurry of reactions on social media and within political circles across the Teso sub-region.
According to sources close to the district party structures, Ikabat’s nomination was initially marred by controversy. Reports emerged that he had faced administrative resistance and was nearly blocked from contesting.
However, pressure from his supporters and alleged political backing from State Minister for Sports, Hon. Peter Ogwang, appeared to have shifted the tide in his favor.
A post shared by members of Ikabat’s campaign team, many of whom are believed to be close allies of Minister Ogwang, expressed deep gratitude following the reversal of what they termed an “unfair and politically motivated attempt to lock out a people’s candidate.”
The development has added a new twist to the already complex internal dynamics of the NRM in Katakwi District.
Vice President Alupo, who also serves as the Woman Member of Parliament for Katakwi, is a towering political figure whose influence spans across national and local politics.
Her bid to represent veterans is seen by many as a consolidation of her grip on the party’s grassroots structures ahead of the 2026 general elections.
However, the entry of Ikabat, a popular local leader with deep roots in the community and links to Minister Ogwang, could pose a challenge to the Vice President’s uncontested dominance in the area.
While neither Ogwang nor Alupo has made any public comment about the race, political watchers say the contest is more than symbolic and could reflect the undercurrents of an evolving power struggle within the district’s NRM leadership.
Some political analysts suggest the Ikabat-Alupo face-off could be the latest chapter in a quiet rivalry between factions allied to the two leaders, a rivalry that has remained largely muted in public but evident in local mobilization strategies and party decisions.
The nomination of Ikabat comes at a time when the NRM is continuing with it’s grassroots elections across the country, which will eventually shape the composition of the national delegates conference.
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