TOP STORY — NATIONAL POLITICS
Money, Power, and Division: How NRM’s Internal Elections Turned Into a Political Firestorm
Kampala, Uganda – What was supposed to be a routine internal election within the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has instead pulled back the curtain on a party grappling with deep internal fractures, vote-buying scandals, ethnic undercurrents, and a growing credibility crisis.
When the NRM held elections for its Central Region Central Executive Committee (CEC) seat in August, few expected fireworks. Yet the race between Minister of State for Microfinance Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo and wealthy businessman Moses Kalangwa turned into one of the most bitter and divisive contests in recent party history.
Official results handed Kasolo a narrow win—4,194 votes to Kalangwa’s 3,981—but the aftermath has been anything but settled. Kalangwa rejected the results, alleging widespread vote-buying, irregularities, and what he called a “conspiracy” to edge him out of the race.
Cash Reigns Supreme
The most explosive claims didn’t come from Kalangwa alone. Aaron Turahi, LC V Chairman of Isingiro District, ignited a firestorm on Radio West, claiming the contest was awash in cash handouts.
According to Turahi, Kalangwa initially gave delegates UGX 300,000 each. In response, Kasolo allegedly invited the same delegates to a Kampala restaurant and handed out UGX 500,000 apiece. Upon learning of the move, Kalangwa reportedly upped his offer to UGX 1 million per delegate.
Some delegates allegedly walked away with over UGX 1.3 million in total—an amount far exceeding the official per diem provided by the party.
“How can aspirants give more money than the party itself?” Turahi asked, reflecting a sentiment echoed privately by many within NRM.
Ethnic Undercurrents and Presidential Intervention
The race also took on an ethnic dimension. Rumors swirled about Kalangwa’s alleged Rwandan origins, a narrative that tapped into long-standing tensions in Buganda. President Yoweri Museveni stepped in to publicly dispel the claims.
“There was talk of Kalangwa having come from Rwanda originally. This is not correct,” Museveni said. “Buganda is a multi-cultural unit. You should look for capacity and dedication.”
However, Museveni didn’t fully shield Kalangwa either. He cited a letter from Kayunga District accusing the businessman of land grabbing—an allegation that has long dogged his public image.
A Disputed Process, A Divided Party
Kalangwa presented what he claimed were “true results” to the NRM tribunal, showing him with 3,980 votes to Kasolo’s 3,100. Kasolo countered that Kalangwa offered no evidence, and the businessman ultimately stormed out of the tribunal, calling on Museveni to intervene directly.
All this, for a position that is unpaid and largely advisory—raising serious questions about the real stakes in NRM’s internal power struggles.
Senior Party Figures Sound the Alarm
In a rare show of unity, senior NRM leaders publicly condemned the alleged vote-buying spree.
- Rebecca Kadaga decried the “distribution of iPads, cellphones, and millions of shillings.”
- Capt. Mike Mukula warned of a “dangerous path for the party.”
- Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa questioned the logic of spending billions on a volunteer role: “Why should it be a matter of life and death to sit in CEC?”
Their comments marked a turning point, with bribery no longer whispered about but openly acknowledged by the party elite.
Post-Election Healing or Political Calculus?
Despite the storm, Kasolo moved swiftly to consolidate his win. Backed by Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka and the NRM Secretariat, he hosted a post-election unification meeting in Buganda.
The effort paid off. More than half of the disgruntled aspirants who had threatened to go independent agreed to step aside, boosting NRM’s efforts to reclaim Buganda, where the National Unity Platform (NUP) dominated in 2021.
NRM now aims to win 80 out of Buganda’s 105 parliamentary seats—up from the 53 it secured last time.
Beyond Kasolo vs Kalangwa: A Party at a Crossroads
This contest was never just about two men. It exposed:
- The corrosive influence of money in internal party elections
- The fragility of NRM’s internal democracy
- And the ethnic undercurrents that still shape Ugandan politics
For a party that has ruled Uganda for nearly four decades, the implications are far-reaching. Unless NRM can rein in money politics, restore credibility, and confront its internal divisions, the battles of Buziga and Buganda may prove to be early warning signs of deeper fractures to come.
