Confusion mars Jinja nominations as two NRM rivals claim flag bearer slot

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JINJA - A verbal exchange broke out before election officials when two aspirants for the councillor of Buwenda ward in Jinja City Northern Division turned up with different recommendations as flag bearers of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).

Iburahim Mudoola and Andrew Mubale, the incumbent, threw the process into confusion when they each presented documents from different offices confirming them as party flag bearers.

Dressed in yellow party colours and carrying similar black bags, Mudoola produced a letter from the party headquarters signed by the NRM electoral commissioner, Jane Alisemera Bahiiha, naming him as flag bearer. This followed his petition of August 18, 2025, in which he complained that his victory had been switched to Mubale, despite defeating him in the party primaries.

In his petition, Mudoola stated that he had beaten Mubale and that as he delivered his maiden speech to thank voters, his address was cut short when a microphone was snatched from him.

Attempts to declare him as the flag bearer by the division NRM registrar were unsuccessful despite his win against two opponents.

An insider within Jinja NRM accused their returning officer of declaring the two in intervals in the presence of Jinja city resident commissioner Richard Gulume, until Gulume insisted on Mudoola’s declaration.

“I don’t know how the changes came in later, even after Gulume standing his ground to declare the rightful winner. These are the messes majority experienced in our primaries. They would declare a person who trailed as winner,” said a source who participated, lost in the race, and later stood as an independent.

Failing to secure justice in Jinja, Mudoola petitioned party headquarters, which ruled in his favour.

A letter dated September 4, 2025, and signed by Alisemera formally presented Mudoola as the duly elected NRM flag bearer for Buwenda ward councillor. It was copied to the Jinja police commander and the resident city commissioner, both of whom stamped confirmation of receipt on September 5. The NRM chairperson for Jinja city acknowledged receipt two days later.

Nasasira listening to Mudoola (in black) flanked by Mubale as he resisted to be thrown out and requested for a halt of their nomination until guidance from the party headquarters. (Photo by Jackie Nambogga)

While Mudoola presented official documents bearing his photograph on Tuesday, September 9, as flag bearer, Mubale also presented similar papers but originating from the Jinja party offices.

Michael Waiswa, the division party chairperson, accompanied Mubale for nomination, leaving election officials led by Jinja city assistant returning officer Racheal Nasasira unable to proceed.

While Mudoola camped inside the nomination hall, Waiswa moved in and out, making calls. Whenever he approached Nasasira to press Mubale’s nomination, Mudoola rushed to listen in.

He accused Waiswa of using Gulume to influence his opponent’s nomination.

“It is Gulume speaking to Nasasira on Waiswa’s phone to have Mubale nominated, yet he acknowledged receipt of the Kyadondo letter that maintained me, and it is the overall,” he said.

The standoff lasted 30 minutes as Mubale accused Mudoola of being a thug attempting to rob him of his rightful victory.

The fracas brought the exercise to a halt as angry aspirants reminded the duo that the process was not an NRM party nomination but a national exercise.

“You are wasting our time, yet some of us were here since Monday, and we haven’t succeeded up to Tuesday 4:00pm. Give us a break, as this is not an NRM nomination exercise,” one aspirant shouted.

Police intervened and forced the two out of the premises, after which business resumed. Nasasira said these were internal party matters the Electoral Commission could not resolve.

Two minutes before the close of the day’s exercise at 4:58pm, Mubale returned and began his nomination process. Shortly after, Mudoola also gained access to the already closed premises.

Mubale was nominated and declared flag bearer by Nasasira at 9:40pm, celebrating with Waiswa. Ten minutes later, Mudoola was nominated as an independent candidate with the symbol of a clock.

Waiswa blamed national NRM electoral commission chairperson Dr Tanga Odoi for the confusion, accusing him of entertaining Mudoola’s petition without consulting local party officials.

He insisted Mubale was fully nominated and that his name had been presented to the Electoral Commission as flag bearer.

“The confusion came from Kampala, and it is Tanga behind this mess. He was not on ground yet we wrote a letter as NRM in Jinja backing our candidate for nomination,” Waiswa said.

Despite being nominated as an independent, Mudoola vowed to take legal action against Jinja NRM offices for undermining the decision of the party’s top organ.

“It is not yet over, I am going to challenge our Jinja office for presenting Mubale, whom I defeated in the primaries, but our leaders went ahead and switched my victory despite petitioning higher authorities that ruled in my favour with documents,” Mudoola said. 

'Do the right thing'

Addressing the media at party headquarters on Kyadondo Road in Kampala on September 9, 2025, Odoi acknowledged the issue of conflicting endorsements affecting nominations.

”We have received very disturbing information that the NRM chairpersons in some few districts are endorsing the wrong flag bearers. We still call upon the chairpersons to do the right thing and endorse the right flag bearers. We have a list of right flag bearers with registrars; a few chairpersons are doing this; the majority are doing the right thing.

We have a situation in Jinja right now where two people have been declared. One was declared by the registrar, and another one was declared by the RDC. We are telling the Electoral Commission, go slow, let them go back and reconcile,” Odoi said.

Speaking to New Vision on Wednesday, Jinja city NRM registrar Moses Nyiro emphasised that Mubale was the party flag bearer. 

Nyiro said they conducted inquiries on the ground into how their primaries had been conducted, and the findings indicated that Mudoola had been defeated.

Upon learning of Mudoola's next step, Nyiro said the Jinja RCC Gulume briefed Odoi, who advised him (the RCC) to rectify the issue since he was more conversant with the political situation in the area.

Where the number of aspirants was smaller on Wednesday compared to the first two days, when the exercise stretched up to 10:00 pm, Annet Naiwumbwe, the area division assistant election officer, said they would keep waiting for aspirants until the official closing time of 5:00 pm.

"We shall sit and wait for our clients, and in case anyone arrives before 5:00 pm, we shall work on them because it is our mandate to serve to satisfactorily," she said.