The National Resistance Movement (NRM) party has officially canceled the Mukono Municipality parliamentary primary election and referred the matter to its national Electoral Commission for further analysis and final decision, following a dramatic collapse of the tallying process marred by alleged result tampering, violence, and the arrest of a key electoral official.
The tallying exercise, which began with mounting tension, was abruptly halted on Wednesday after widespread concerns emerged about altered results from several polling areas.
The situation further escalated with the arrest of Joseph Sulume, the registrar for Goma Division, who was accused of irregular handling of election results.
Sulume reportedly collected results around midday but disappeared from communication for several hours, prompting suspicion among candidates and election observers.
His phone was reportedly switched off until 6:00 p.m., only to reappear later under police escort. After submitting the results at the tally centre around 9:00 p.m., Sulume was quietly detained at Mukono Police Division, sparking outrage from supporters of one of the leading candidates.
Former Mukono LC5 Chairperson and NRM parliamentary aspirant Andrew Ssenyonga, accompanied by more than 50 supporters, stormed Mukono Police Division headquarters demanding Sulume’s release.
The confrontation turned violent, leading to the severe beating of Ssenyonga and his brother, Rauben Ssenyonjo, who serves as the District Youth Councillor. Both were initially treated at Mukono Church of Uganda Hospital before being transferred to Nsambya Hospital in Kampala for specialized care.
Deputy RDC Hassan Kasibante confirmed the clash, stating that Ssenyonga’s group attempted to breach police custody and forcibly release the detained registrar.
“Our security team could not allow such an act, especially because the cells had other suspects facing various charges,” Kasibante said. “They even tried to grab guns from our officers. However, we apologize for the misconduct against media personnel and investigations are ongoing to identify the officers responsible.”
Journalists and bloggers who were covering the events were allegedly assaulted, with some of their equipment confiscated and footage deleted in the chaos that ensued at the station.
In response to the growing controversy, Samuel Eyenga, a representative from the NRM Secretariat who chaired a high-level meeting involving the District Security Committee and NRM technical team on Thursday, announced that the situation had spiraled beyond local control.
“The tallying process has failed. We have decided to refer the entire process to the NRM Electoral Commission at the national secretariat for final analysis and decision,” Eyenga told journalists.
The dramatic events and violence have drawn condemnation from multiple quarters. Daisy Ssonko, Ssenyonga’s main rival in the race, had earlier warned of looming consequences if violence persisted in the campaigns.
The cancellation leaves Mukono Municipality without a clear NRM flagbearer, adding to the growing list of primary elections across the country affected by logistical failures, alleged fraud, and unrest. The NRM Secretariat is expected to issue a final verdict in the coming days.
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