Lwengo: Discontent over the NRM’s conduct of primaries has prompted Bruce N. Tushabe, an aspiring mayor for Lwengo Town Council, to announce that he will contest the 2026–2031 mayoral elections as an independent candidate and will not participate in the ruling party’s internal elections until the secret ballot system is restored.
Addressing the media in a statement issued over the weekend, Mr Tushabe said allegations that he had quit NRM were “misleading propaganda” intended to discredit his political ambitions.
“I have not left the NRM. I remain a committed member of the party,” he said, citing his current role as spokesperson for Lwengo Central Zone Village under the party structures.
Mr Tushabe, who also served as Chairperson of Youth in Lwengo Town Council, explained that his refusal to participate in NRM primaries was driven by what he described as “chaos, irregularities and manipulation” witnessed during the last intra-party elections.
Irregularities in primaries
The aspirant who participated in the last mayoral election accused some party leaders of presiding over a flawed system of lining up behind candidates instead of using secret ballot, which he said undermines transparency and breeds divisions in villages.
“Lining up disrespects people, causes hostility, and intimidates voters. Many are forced to side with relatives, in-laws or simply join the longer line. This is unconstitutional and unfair,” Mr Tushabe argued.
He also claimed that voting in Lwengo Town Council was not conducted simultaneously across all villages, enabling some individuals to vote multiple times. “A village with 100 registered voters can produce 300 votes, including people not on the register,” he noted.
Questions of accountability
Mr Tushabe further pointed to what he called “misuse of funds” collected from aspirants during the nomination process. He said LC3 chairpersons pay Shs200,000, district chairpersons Shs1 million, and Members of Parliament Shs3 million, adding that Lwengo alone contributes over Shs280 million.
“With all this money, the party should be able to organise free and fair primaries using ballot papers. Instead, there is no accountability and even village and sub-county registers remain unpaid,” he said.
He also accused some leaders of influencing outcomes by bribing polling agents or making promises to reward them if certain candidates secured zero votes in particular villages. “I was a victim of agents who were paid and then disappeared on polling day,” he said.
Appeal to Museveni
Mr Tushabe appealed to NRM national chairman, President Yoweri Museveni, to “urgently streamline” the conduct of party primaries or risk losing members to independent candidature.
“If reforms are not made and the ballot box is not restored, many people will shun party primaries and contest as independents. This will weaken the NRM instead of strengthening it,” he warned.
Despite his criticism, Mr Tushabe insisted he remains firmly within the ruling party and is only calling for accountability, fairness and democratic practice.
“As we approach the 2026 general elections, I remain focused on my bid for Mayor of Lwengo Town Council to deliver accountable, transparent, and people-centred leadership,” he concluded.
