By KT Reporter
National Resistance Movement (NRM) local Council candidates in Kagadi District have accused party leadership at the secretariat of neglecting and unfairly facilitating candidates at the local government level.
The concerns were raised on Friday during a Kagadi District Council sitting held at JW Kate Hotel Conference Centre in Kagadi Town Council. The meeting was attended by the NRM Director of Legal Services, Counsel Enoch Barata, who had paid a courtesy call to the district council.
Led by Matia Kato, the male District Councilor and NRM candidate for Bwikara Sub-county, the councilors challenged Counsel Barata, who also heads the NRM mobilization team in the Bunyoro Sub-region, to explain why facilitation is mainly extended to NRM parliamentary candidates, leaving out district and sub-county candidates.
Kato warned that continued unfair treatment could demoralize local leaders, noting that some councilors may withdraw from mobilizing support for the party’s presidential flag bearer, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, if the issue is not addressed.
Dorothy Murobe , the District Councilor for Muhorro Town Council, echoed the concerns, accusing the NRM party of habitually neglecting local government flag bearers.
She expressed disappointment over being excluded from President Museveni’s campaign rally held on 13th December 2025 at Muhorro BCS grounds.
Murobe said local leaders struggle to campaign without support, yet are later expected to mobilize for party leadership.
Meanwhile, Gahima Gard, representing Ruteete Town Council, urged the party secretariat to “clean its house” if the NRM is to remain strong and united at the grassroots.English
Jamada Magezi, the District Councilor representing Kabamba Sub-county, asked Counsel Barata to advise the party’s top leadership on reinstating secret ballot voting during NRM party primaries instead of the lining-up method.
She argued that secret ballots would reduce internal divisions and prevent dissatisfied candidates from contesting as independents due to alleged irregularities.
In response, Counsel Enock Barata acknowledged the concerns, explaining that the failure to facilitate all party flag bearers at district and sub-county levels is not deliberate but a result of resource constraints. He urged local leaders to remain patriotic and assured them that the party is working toward addressing the imbalance.Runyankole
On the issue of party primaries, Barata maintained that the lining-up method was approved by the party’s top organ as a way of promoting transparency and strengthening internal party democracy.
He further called upon residents of Kagadi District and the wider Bunyoro Sub-region to continue supporting President Museveni and all NRM flag bearers in the 2026 general elections.
Speaking on his visit to Kagadi District, Barata said he was in the area to mobilize support for the NRM Party Chairman, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
He noted that, based on his engagements on the ground, support for Museveni remains strong, expressing confidence that the President could secure up to 80 percent of the vote in Kagadi District in the 2026 general elections.
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