As the National Resistance Movement (NRM) inches toward its National Delegates’ Conference, the party’s internal electoral disputes have intensified, and recent rulings by the NRM Electoral Tribunal have sent shockwaves through its ranks. In a development that reflects both the party’s evolving approach to internal accountability and the diminishing immunity of senior figures, three sitting ministers, all political heavyweights in their own right, have lost petitions challenging their defeats in the NRM parliamentary primaries held on July 17, 2025.
The affected ministers include: Dr. Fredrick Gume Ngobi, State Minister for Cooperatives, Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu, State Minister for Education, and Victoria Businge Rusoke, State Minister for Local Government.
Each had petitioned the tribunal to overturn results in their respective constituencies, citing irregularities ranging from voter intimidation to ineligible candidates. All three petitions have been dismissed, a rare outcome that underlines a deepening transformation within the NRM: no position is safe, and internal democracy is gaining sharper teeth.
Case 1: Fredrick Gume vs. George Patrick Kasajja (Bulamogi North West)
Gume’s petition against the declaration of George Patrick Kasajja as the flagbearer for Bulamogi North West Constituency in Kaliro District was perhaps the most data-intensive of the three cases. Gume cited several electoral malpractices, including multiple voting, inflated registers, pre-signed DR forms, and fabricated results from polling stations where no voting allegedly took place.
Interestingly, while the tribunal confirmed substantial discrepancies in 19 polling stations, including 3,250 votes added to Kasajja and 410 votes deducted from Gume, it still upheld the results.
After correcting for the irregularities, the new margin remained at 1,861 votes in favor of Kasajja.
The tribunal ruled that although the irregularities constituted non-compliance with party regulations, they did not meet the legal threshold to nullify the outcome.
This ruling represents a crucial precedent: irregularities must not only exist; they must demonstrably change the result. It’s a message that future petitioners will have to heed.
Case 2: Joyce Moriku Kaducu vs. Chandia Benadette Kodili (Moyo Woman MP)
Kaducu’s twin petitions against Chandia Benadette Kodili laid bare the fraught political environment in Moyo District. She accused her rival of engaging in voter bribery, intimidation, use of underage voters, and harassment of her agents.
She also questioned the authenticity of DR forms and alleged manipulation in strongholds where her vote share was allegedly suppressed.
Yet the tribunal, led by Joseph Ogwanga, found no sufficient evidence of systematic malpractice. In particular, the panel ruled that: only the official results declared at the tally center on July 17, 2025 could be considered valid, alleged discrepancies in DR forms from Kaducu’s camp lacked authentication and that there was no direct link between any isolated irregularities and the declared winner, Kodili.
Ultimately, the tribunal upheld Kodili’s election as flag bearer, reinforcing a trend: allegations, no matter how severe, must be proven with credible, verified data, not circumstantial narratives.
Case 3: Victoria Rusoke vs. Pamela Annet Kirungi (Kabarole District Woman MP)
Rusoke’s petition brought a different angle, a legal qualification challenge. She argued that her rival, Pamela Annet Kirungi, was ineligible to contest, having allegedly not resigned from public service by the Electoral Commission’s June 13 deadline.
Kirungi, however, produced evidence that: she had applied for early retirement on August 8, 2024, her retirement was later revised to May 31, 2025, well ahead of the EC deadline, and that she had handed over her office and only received a salary in June 2025 due to an administrative error, which she formally reported and rectified.
The tribunal, chaired by Paul Rutisyay, accepted this defense and dismissed the argument that a payroll mishap constituted grounds for disqualification.
The decision reinforced a principle that compliance with deadlines and formal resignation procedures outweigh bureaucratic anomalies, especially when corrective actions are documented.
A new olitical order emerging?
These rulings, while legal in nature, point to a deeper political recalibration within the NRM, that ministerial titles no longer shield candidates from scrutiny.
The tribunal’s willingness to dismiss petitions filed by sitting ministers, some with long-standing service records, may be interpreted as a signal that seniority no longer guarantees deference in internal disputes.
Credibility and evidence trump narrative. In each case, the tribunal emphasized the need for verifiable, substantial evidence. Allegations of malpractice must be specific, authenticated, and materially consequential. Emotional appeals or vague assertions no longer suffice.
Legal thresholds matter. Even where irregularities were confirmed (as in Gume’s case), unless they materially alter the outcome, they are insufficient to overturn results. This is a strong institutional message: internal party elections must meet not just political expectations, but legal standards.
Disturbing future though!
While some may view these rulings as affirmations of fairness and internal democracy, others may interpret them as evidence of deepening factional tensions within the party.
The discontent among senior figures, now publicly aired through petitions and press briefings, hints at an NRM that is increasingly competitive and internally contested, a departure from its previously more centralized and hierarchical decision-making style.
With the NRM National Conference imminent, these tribunal decisions will not only influence the dynamics at the event but may also foreshadow larger struggles for power, influence, and reform within the party.
As the NRM seeks to position itself as a party of stability and democratic credentials ahead of the 2026 general elections, how it navigates these internal fractures will be critical to its political legitimacy, both within its base and on the national stage.
