The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has formally rejected the results of the recently concluded by-election in Kawempe North constituency, citing widespread irregularities, voter intimidation, and violence.
The decision was reached during a meeting of the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) held on Friday under the chairmanship of H.E. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who is also the party’s National Chairman.
Speaking to the media on Friday evening, NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong expressed the party’s deep concerns over what he described as a “deeply flawed electoral process” that undermined the democratic will of the people.
“The by-election held on Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Kawempe North was marred by violence, intimidation of voters, and alleged rigging. These actions not only compromised the integrity of the exercise but also grossly disenfranchised our supporters,” Todwong said.
According to the final tally released by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), the National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate was declared the winner with 17,764 votes, while NRM’s flag bearer, Ms. Faridah Nambi Kigongo, polled 8,593 votes.
However, the NRM leadership maintains that the results do not reflect the true will of the people of Kawempe North.
The CEC has resolved to pursue legal redress and has instructed the party’s legal team to challenge the declaration in the courts of law.
“We outrightly reject the results as announced by the IEC. We are gathering all necessary evidence and compiling statistics of our supporters who were brutalized and prevented from voting. Many of them, especially women and the elderly, were intimidated and scared away from polling stations,” Todwong said.
He further noted that there were numerous incidents where NRM supporters were attacked and harassed by individuals believed to be aligned with opposition groups.
“This is not the democracy we fought for. We cannot allow a return to the kind of disenfranchisement that pushed us to take up arms in 1980,” he emphasized.
Todwong also addressed concerns regarding the conduct of security forces during the by-election.
While acknowledging that some security personnel used excessive force, he clarified that they had been provoked by unruly opposition elements.
“It is unfortunate that journalists and innocent Ugandans were caught in the provoked and excessive use of force. We deeply regret these incidents and apologize to all those affected,” he said.
He assured the nation that the government is already conducting investigations into the reported misconduct by security personnel and promised that those found culpable would be held accountable.
In addition to violence and voter suppression, Todwong pointed out that the Electoral Commission itself nullified results from several polling stations due to reported malpractices, including ballot stuffing and irregularities in vote tallying.
He revealed that over 50,000 votes were not included in the final count, representing more than 62% of the expected votes.
“This means the Commission announced a winner based on less than 40% of the total expected votes. This is a gross violation of the people’s right to freely choose their leader,” Todwong stated.
The NRM leadership maintains that such an outcome significantly undermines the credibility of the electoral process and the democratic rights of the people in Kawempe North.
“We will not allow this to stand. We are committed to using all legal avenues to ensure that justice is served and that the true will of the people is respected,” Todwong concluded.
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NUP won and we all saw that. Sebo Museveni don’t joke around I know you are ashamed.