By KT Reporter
Tension was high at the Sembabule District National Resistance Movement (NRM) offices on Saturday after dozens of supporters stormed the premises protesting the disappearance of nomination forms for the party primaries. The angry group, comprising sub-county chairpersons, district councilors, and prospective candidates from Lwemiyaga County, besieged the district party offices in Sembabule Town Council, demanding an explanation for the missing forms.
Last week, the NRM commenced its roadmap for electing structure leaders, starting with receiving applications from candidates vying for positions on village executive committees, whose elections are scheduled for Wednesday. According to the roadmap, candidates were expected to fill in nomination forms and submit them to sub-county registrars, who would then forward them to district headquarters for vetting.
Geoffrey Kweijuka Nzunga, the Nabitanga Sub-county Chairperson, alleged that all nomination forms for the 133 villages in Lwemiyaga Constituency had disappeared, raising fears of a plot to impose leadership committees without elections. Kweijuka accused Charles Bogere Matovu, the NRM registrar for Lwemiyaga County, of absconding with the forms collected from the five sub-counties. Kweijuka said that since Tuesday, they had made several inquiries about the whereabouts of the forms and party registers without success, prompting Saturday’s protest.
In a related concern, Molly Rwabushaija, the district councillor representing Lwemiyaga Sub-county, alleged that cliques of politicians were confiscating nomination forms to alter records for selfish interests. She said supporters had resolved to camp at the party offices to prevent the possible smuggling in of manipulated forms.
Barireete Kabugo and Julius Ssebugwawo, NRM members from Nabitanga Sub-county, demanded that the party halt structural elections until the matter is resolved. They claimed the disappearance of the registrar and the nomination forms was a scheme to insert ghost members into the party structures, aiming to rig future primaries. The impasse prompted Faisal Sseruwagi, the Sembabule Deputy Resident District Commissioner, to intervene and calm the angry supporters. He confirmed receiving complaints about electoral irregularities and said his office had directed police to investigate.
Patrick Ntale, the Sembabule District NRM Elections Registrar, said he was out of the district at the time of the protest but promised to examine the complaints upon his return. Notably, the Sembabule NRM offices were previously raided and torched in 2015 by angry supporters from Lugusuulu Sub-county following disagreements over party primaries-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
