Tension gripped the Wakiso Electoral Commission offices on Tuesday after rival aspirants showed up with clashing credentials, each claiming to be the official National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate for the same seats.
The storm first broke out over the Nansana West Ward III councillor race. In the morning, officials processed and confirmed the nomination of Rogers Galiwango after he presented documents, including a party letter confirming him as NUP’s flagbearer. Galiwango walked away satisfied, believing the matter settled.
But hours later, Edison Kato arrived with his own stamped documents from the party headquarters declaring him the flag holder for the very same ward. The electoral officials, however, stood their ground.
“We have already nominated NUP’s flag bearer for this electoral area,” Wakiso Assistant District Election Administrator Fosca Twebaze told Kato.
The response left Kato visibly shaken. Dressed in a white Ganda tunic and jacket, he broke down in tears, while his supporters clashed verbally with those of Galiwango.
Investigations by our reporter revealed that the party’s internal process may have caused the standoff. Records show NUP initially handed the flag to Galiwango but later reassigned him to a different constituency, with the September 2 official list naming Kato as the rightful candidate for Nansana West Ward III.
Holding back tears, Kato vowed to take his case to the party headquarters for clarification.
A similar clash emerged in Nabweru South III, where Muzamiru Kakooza was first declared NUP’s candidate before the ticket was transferred to Reagan Mukasa. Yet Kakooza, arriving early at the EC, was officially nominated. When Mukasa later attempted to present his papers, he was informed he could only stand as an independent since the flag was already on record under Kakooza’s name. Frustrated, Mukasa rode off to NUP headquarters to demand answers.
The conflicting nominations raised eyebrows, particularly as both sets of documents bore stamps and signatures from NUP Deputy Secretary General Aisha Kabanda.
Nansana Division NUP chairperson Yusuf Katende admitted the situation was puzzling, pointing out possibilities of forgery or abrupt cancellations. “There were several appeals in the process,” he noted. “Let’s wait and hear from the party leadership.”
Some saw the chaos as evidence of deeper cracks. Wakiso district councillor Tonny Lutaaya, who quit NUP after his own ticket was withdrawn, mocked the party’s handling of the process. He accused leaders of disorganisation and influence-peddling, warning that such practices undermine democratic principles.
By press time, NUP headquarters had yet to issue a statement on the contested tickets.
Electoral Commission official Tolbert Musinguzi explained that the body works on a first-come, first-served basis: “Once a candidate presents valid papers, we nominate them. If another comes later with similar documents, they cannot be considered under the same party flag. It is then up to the party to resolve the matter and inform us.”
He advised political organisations to submit finalised lists in advance to avoid confusion and the kind of emotional scenes that unfolded in Wakiso.
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