Politics
Former Minister Kabatsi, Ssekikubo Petition Electoral Commission Over Disputed Sembabule NRM Primaries
Former Sembabule District Woman MP Joy Kafula Kabatsi and incumbent Lwemiyaga County MP Theodore Ssekikubo have jointly filed a formal petition to the Electoral Commission, contesting the declaration of Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Rwashande as the winner of the recently concluded National Resistance Movement (NRM) party primaries.
In their petition, the two veteran politicians allege widespread electoral malpractice that they say fundamentally undermines the legitimacy of the results. The reported irregularities include ballot stuffing, voter intimidation, military interference, and manipulation of vote tallies.
Kabatsi, who was also a candidate in the hotly contested race, voiced frustration over being sidelined in both media and public discourse. “The entire narrative has been reduced to a Ssekikubo-Rwashande rivalry, yet I was a valid contender,” she said. “My votes were deliberately substituted in favor of Rwashande.”
Kabatsi and Ssekikubo allege that voters were ferried in from Kampala, some ballots cast in their favor were discarded or ignored, and polling agents were denied access or violently ejected from polling stations. They accuse Rwashande’s campaign of orchestrating a violent and fraudulent election, using tactics meant to instill fear and suppress legitimate voter expression.
Ssekikubo, a long-serving MP and vocal critic of military interference in politics, pointed to a deliberate communication blackout on polling day. He attributed this to the targeted destruction of telecom masts in the area—a move he claims could only have been executed by individuals with access to state resources.
In a shocking revelation, Ssekikubo claimed he was shot at during the election chaos—the second time in his political career such an incident has occurred.
The petition also includes allegations of technology-aided electoral fraud. Ssekikubo claims that Artificial Intelligence tools were used to manipulate evidence, including altering images from security footage. One fabricated photo reportedly depicted a deceased man edited to appear as though he was holding a stone—a doctored image that was allegedly used to mislead President Museveni.
Kabatsi and Ssekikubo insist that the Sembabule NRM primaries were neither free nor fair, arguing that the process was hijacked by actors within the state and military. They are demanding a nullification of the results and a fresh election conducted under transparent and fair conditions.
Their petition is among more than 250 complaints received by the NRM Election Tribunal following the party primaries across the country. Brig. Gen. Rwashande, listed as the respondent, is yet to be formally summoned to respond to the allegations.
This isn’t the first time Ssekikubo has challenged Rwashande. In the lead-up to the primaries, he unsuccessfully petitioned to block Rwashande’s nomination over alleged academic qualification discrepancies.
As the dispute unfolds, the spotlight once again turns to the internal democracy of the ruling party and the role of security forces in Uganda’s electoral processes—an issue that continues to spark national debate.
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