A cloud of controversy is said to be hanging over the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Entrepreneurs League National Executive Committee elections, with allegations surfacing that businessman Hassan Basajjabalaba has handpicked several of his close associates and staff for key leadership positions.
Basajjabalaba, who reportedly returned unopposed as Chairman of the Entrepreneurs League for the 2025–2031 term, is now being accused of exerting influence over the composition of the body tasked with mobilizing the private sector in support of party initiatives.
According to sources familiar with the process, Basajjabalaba is alleged to have appointed individuals close to him, including Wagooli Dominic (nominated for National Vice Chairperson, Eastern Uganda), Hajji Abdul Bisaso (Publicity), Bosco Mugambagye (Kampala), and Prossy Kagabi (Western Uganda). A campaign video purportedly featuring these individuals has also been circulating on social media platforms.
It is further alleged that delegates have been pressured to vote for the said candidates, with claims that financial inducements may have been tied to compliance. Some insiders allege that over 500 delegates were summoned ahead of the Thursday polls in what critics suggest could tilt the process in favor of Basajjabalaba’s preferred team.
Basajjabalaba has in the past faced questions regarding his methods during NRM internal processes. Ahead of the recently concluded Central Executive Committee (CEC) elections, he was widely reported to have been linked to bribery of district administrators, use of unaccredited delegates, forged accreditation cards, and alleged circulation of fake registers.
None of these claims were proven, but they continue to shadow his political and business dealings.
Efforts to reach Basajjabalaba for a response to the latest allegations were unsuccessful by press time. The allegations come at a time when the ruling party’s top leadership has been emphasizing clean and transparent internal elections.
The NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC) last week directed that elections for the Youth and Entrepreneurs League National Executives, as well as flag bearers for Members of Parliament representing youth, would be held on Thursday, September 18, 2025.
A circular issued by the NRM Secretary General, Rt. Hon. Richard Todwong, following the 5th CEC meeting at State House Entebbe, confirmed that the polls would be decentralized and conducted in all 151 NRM districts.
Voting will be by lining up behind candidates, with delegates expected to convene at district headquarters from 9:00 a.m.
Eligible delegates include NRM Members of Parliament representing youth, members of district executive committees of both the Youth and Entrepreneurs Leagues, municipal and city division youth executives, NRM district youth councillors, sub-county youth league chairpersons, and national executive committee members of the two leagues.
The party’s electoral guidelines come on the heels of stern warnings by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni against malpractice in both internal and national elections. While addressing the NRM National Executive Committee (NEC) at State House Entebbe on August 23, 2025, the President stressed that bribery and corruption in politics were poisonous and risked undermining the credibility of leadership.
“Money is poison. When leaders are elected through bribery or cheating, they become unaccountable to the people. That is what caused wars in the past, and we cannot allow it to happen again,” Museveni said.
He further cautioned that the party and government would not hesitate to prosecute perpetrators of electoral malpractice.
As the countdown to Thursday’s polls continues, attention now turns to whether the reported claims surrounding Basajjabalaba’s alleged hand picking of candidates will be addressed by the party’s electoral officials—or whether they will remain another point of contention in NRM’s highly competitive internal politics.
