A section of National Resistance Movement (NRM) women in Jinja City has staged a peaceful demonstration protesting delays and what they describe as confusion surrounding the election of the party’s women council flagbearer.
The women, carrying posters of President Yoweri Museveni, marched through Bugembe Ward, calling for a transparent and competitive electoral process ahead of the women council elections scheduled for Thursday.
The protesters say the party has failed to produce a substantive flagbearer for the city and district women’s council leadership, despite several attempts to conduct the election.
According to the women, they initially elected Fauza Namiiro as their substantive chairperson on August 21, 2026, and she was subsequently issued an endorsement form. However, the election was later cancelled after the party introduced new guidelines restricting participation in the selection of women council flagbearers to ward chairpersons.
The NRM subsequently organised a fresh election at Jinja City Hall on August 22, with all 26 delegates reportedly in attendance. The exercise, however, turned chaotic midway, forcing the registrars to suspend it and postpone it to August 23.
The postponed election was held at Jinja Senior Secondary School under the supervision of NRM Electoral Commission chairperson Tanga Odoi. Delegates filled the positions of vice chairperson, secretary, finance and publicity, but the chairperson’s position was left vacant.
The women have since demanded that the party allow genuine competition, arguing that elective politics should allow members to choose leaders based on merit and popular support.
Sarah Musubika, the chairperson of Budondo Ward, said political parties should provide platforms for leadership development rather than favouring particular individuals. She argued that imposing leaders without a clear mandate undermines the purpose of elections and denies members the opportunity to choose candidates they believe can best represent them.
Her views were echoed by Sarah Bamu of Mafubira Ward, who said competitive elections were important for bringing fresh energy and new leadership into the party. Bamu said women invest considerable time mobilising support and campaigning among the electorate, making it unfair for party officials to replace the electoral process with closed-door negotiations.
She accused powerful individuals within the party of using boardroom meetings to determine leadership positions, arguing that such practices suppress the views of the majority.
However, Odoi said the dispute had been complicated by conflicting documents presented by the contestants. He said he held a two-hour meeting with the delegates, during which Namiiro and another contestant, Esther Mirembe, each presented documents purporting to support their candidacy.
According to Odoi, Namiiro presented an endorsement letter signed by Jinja City NRM chairperson Edwin Lufafa, while Mirembe presented a declaration of results form signed by the party administrator, Asuman Kambo.
Odoi said the conflicting documents had made it necessary to seek legal guidance before a final decision could be reached. He said the matter would therefore be referred to the NRM legal team, which will advise the electoral commission before a conclusive decision is made on the chairperson’s position-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
