What went wrong for NRM for kawempe's by-election. Read the news in Details

By Juliuswinner 

The recently concluded Kawempe North by-election once again raised critical questions about the ruling National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) electoral strategy in urban areas, particularly in Kampala, where the opposition is predominant. The results declared on Thursday night showed a party struggling to make inroads despite heavy investments in ghetto structures and youth mobilization efforts.

In the 2021 elections, the late Hon. Muhammad Ssegirinya secured a landslide victory with 41,197 votes, while the NRM candidate, Tom Kasenge, managed only 8,000 votes. Fast forward to 2025, and the numbers remain virtually unchanged as NRM’s candidate, Faridah Nambi, again polled 8,000 votes, while the National Unity Platform’s (NUP) Elias Luyimbazi Nalukoola won with 17,764 votes.

For a party that has heavily invested in mobilization, especially for this by-election, the stagnation in numbers is concerning. Nambi, a veteran politician, was controversially handed the NRM flag by the party’s electoral commission chairman, Dr. Tanga Odoi, in a move many viewed as biased. The fact that she was already the NRM Woman MP flag bearer for Kampala further fueled discontent.

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