By KT Reporter
Newly elected Chairman of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Youth League, Collins Tanga, has urged the party leadership to urgently organise elections for the remaining youth positions, citing the growing financial burden of hosting delegates in Kampala.
Addressing the media in Kampala on Friday, Tanga thanked the young people who participated in the recently concluded Youth League elections, describing the process as peaceful and transparent. He, however, warned that delays in completing the process were becoming costly.
“Accommodating delegates in Kampala is not easy. It is becoming a heavy financial load, not just for the young leaders who are vying for positions, but also for the party’s delegates who travelled from across the country. We urge the NRM Secretariat and the National Chairman to step up and conclude the electoral process,” said Collins Tanga.
Tanga won the hotly contested chairmanship race with 1,567 votes, defeating Brenda Kiconco, who contested alongside a coalition of four other candidates and secured 1,355 votes. The election was conducted by lining up behind candidates, a method often used in NRM internal polls.
The election was presided over by Ambassador James Kinobe, who announced the results before handing them to NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson Dr. Tanga Odoi, who declared his son Collins Tanga the winner. However, the announcement sparked chaos. Supporters of Kiconco protested the results, and clashes erupted between security personnel and youth at around 5 a.m.
This forced the suspension of elections for other positions, including Vice Chairpersons for different regions, Secretary, Treasurer, and the Youth MP Flagbearer. These are the positions Tanga now wants expedited. Kiconco later petitioned the NRM Election Disputes Tribunal, accusing Collins Tanga of electoral malpractice and alleging that his father aided his victory.
Tensions resurfaced on Thursday when NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong confirmed Collins Tanga as a Central Executive Committee (CEC) member during the National Delegates Conference. Youth delegates booed and shouted in protest, demanding Kiconco instead.
President Yoweri Museveni, who was due to speak next, was forced to intervene as the chants persisted. He told the delegates to “shut up” so he could be heard. The youth continued shouting until Museveni confirmed Todwong’s announcement but added that the Tribunal had the mandate to determine the lawful winner. Museveni said if irregularities were found, the party would facilitate a fresh election.
He condemned vote rigging, bribery, corruption, and other malpractices reported during the election cycle, warning that such acts amounted to criminality. While addressing the media, Collins Tanga dismissed allegations that his victory was influenced by his father, Dr. Odoi.
“It is by God’s Grace that I am a son of Dr. Tanga. The vote counting was not handled by my father but by Ambassador James Kinobe, a commissioner of the NRM Electoral Commission who held no conflict of interest in the matter,” he said. “Dr. Tanga Odoi did not count the votes.
His role, as provided for under the party guidelines, was to declare the results based on what had been submitted by the tallying team. Ambassador Kinobe conducted the vote counting and managed the entire polling process,” added Collins Tanga.
He further argued that the lining-up method made rigging impossible. “There is no way someone can rig an election of lining behind, especially where there was one polling station and everyone was seeing what was happening amidst tight security,” he stressed.
Tanga also responded to reports of a petition against him, saying he had not yet been formally served. “I will only respond once the legal process has been officially initiated,” he said, vowing under his slogan “Nobody Can Stop Reggae” that the votes of his supporters would be protected.
Reiterating his call for unity, Tanga urged all candidates to accept the outcome and focus on serving young people under the NRM banner. He emphasised that the Youth League could only function effectively with a complete leadership structure.
“The Youth League is ready to work, to serve, and to mobilise. But it can only do so if all its leadership positions are filled. That’s why we are calling for immediate elections for the remaining positions, so that the Youth League can operate at full capacity,” he noted.
During the same Delegates Conference, Museveni indicated that pending elections, including those for the NRM Entrepreneurs League, would be conducted after investigations into allegations of bribery and voter manipulation by businessman Hassan Basajjabalaba. Basajjabalaba was accused by candidates King Ceased Mulenga,
Mukesh Shukla, and Sanjay Tana, among others, of hiding voters in Dar es Salaam, Botanical Gardens in Entebbe, and Nairobi, preventing them from meeting aspirants. He was also accused of using agents to buy delegate tags in Entebbe to block others from voting.
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