Tensions Flare at Masaka NUP Nominations as Two Aspirants Clash Over Same Seat

There was drama at the Electoral Commission nomination centre in Masaka City after two National Unity Platform (NUP) aspirants clashed over the same elective position.

Achilles Mawanda, the incumbent Masaka City Speaker, arrived to submit his nomination papers for the position of direct City Councillor representing Nyendo-Mukungwe Division. However, shortly after, Maria Esther Mutesti also arrived with a group of jubilant supporters, claiming she was the rightful NUP flagbearer for the same seat.

Mutesti, accompanied by a cheering crowd chanting party slogans, was confident of her candidacy. However, her excitement was short-lived when she was informed that the party had already endorsed Mawanda as its official candidate.

Despite presenting a list from the NUP Election Management Committee naming her as the approved flagbearer, Mutesti was turned away. The Masaka City Returning Officer, Hydary Joloba, confirmed that Mawanda had already submitted nomination forms bearing the party’s official stamp.

Joloba advised Mutesti to consider running as an independent, but she stormed out of the nomination centre in frustration, accusing the party leadership of betrayal. Tearfully, she alleged that a clique within the local NUP leadership had colluded with the Masaka District Registrar to unlawfully revoke her ticket.

Mutesti also claimed that since her name appeared on the initial list of candidates, Francis Kibuuka, a top NUP figure in Masaka City, had been avoiding her.

Ronald Kasekende, the NUP candidate for Nyendo-Mukungwe Division Chairperson, has called on the party’s top leadership to intervene. He warned that internal manipulations by self-serving individuals are undermining the credibility of the party in Masaka.

He further claimed that some leaders had taken control of the city’s NUP registry, using it to swap candidates for their personal gain.

In response, Achilles Mawanda maintained that the confusion stemmed from an earlier error by the party’s Election Management Committee. He said the mistake was corrected, and all affected parties were notified.

Source: urn

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