By AGGREY BULUBA
The Kisoro District Woman MP by-election has come and gone, yet controversy continues to reverberate. Grace Akifeza, an independent candidate with ties to the NRM, emerged victorious over the NRM’s Rose Kabagyenyi and the NUP’s Sultan Salim. The by-election was necessitated by the untimely death of Sarah Mateke, the former Woman MP for Kisoro and State Minister for Defence, who passed away in July.
Akifeza’s victory, however, has only deepened the discord, with allegations of electoral misconduct flying fast and furious. The trouble began within the NRM itself, where the party’s primaries were mired in claims of irregularities. Although Rose Kabagyenyi was declared the official candidate, Akifeza, feeling cheated out of the nomination, broke ranks and ran as an independent. The rest, as they say, is history.
Insiders describe the NRM primaries as anything but transparent. Philimon Mateke, the NRM district chairman, supported Akifeza’s allegations, asserting that the primaries were neither free nor fair. Kitaka Ibrahim, NRM chairman for Lwengo, painted an even grimmer picture, likening the process to a chaotic marketplace where votes were traded like commodities. “Votes were not just counted from the lining-up process; even stomachs were counted. Each voter seemed to cast two votes for Kabagyenyi,” he alleged, accusing party officials of voter bribery.
Despite the NRM’s official endorsement of Kabagyenyi, the electorate in Kisoro defied expectations. Akifeza’s victory as an independent candidate has left many questioning whether the NRM is losing its grip on its base.
Hon. Balimwezo Ronald, the Nakawa East MP, did not mince words in his critique of the Kisoro by-election. He lambasted the Electoral Commission for its apparent failure to ensure a fair election, even with just 35 polling stations to oversee. “If they can’t handle Kisoro, how will they manage the entire country in 2026?” he questioned, warning that the upcoming general election could devolve into an even greater fiasco.
Balimwezo also took aim at the NRM, likening it to a house built on sand. “The party is full of opportunists, not genuine members. Akifeza’s decision to run against her own party proves this,” he said, pointing to deeper fractures within the ruling party.
Religious divisions also added fuel to the election drama. Philimon Mateke had earlier cautioned religious leaders against meddling in politics, warning that their involvement could exacerbate tensions. Meanwhile, rumors of pre-ticked ballots in favor of Kabagyenyi further heightened suspicions of electoral malpractice. Many in Kisoro watched the process with “eyes wide open” as allegations of fraud swirled.
The Kisoro by-election has become a microcosm of Uganda’s broader political challenges, exposing allegations of corruption, infighting, and vote manipulation. Events in this small district may well serve as a warning for what could unfold in 2026. As the proverb goes, “A bird does not forget its nest,” leaving Ugandans to wonder: will their leaders heed the lessons, or will history repeat itself? Only time will tell.
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