It was meant to be a political comeback — a quiet but significant return to the frontlines for Jacqueline Mbabazi, the wife of former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, and a respected figure in her own right. After narrowly clinching the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag for the Western Region Older Persons’ parliamentary seat, many in her camp were already preparing for the general election.
But on September 24, those celebrations came to a sudden halt.
The NRM Election Disputes Tribunal ruled to nullify her victory, citing serious flaws in how the vote had been conducted. The tribunal’s chair, John Musiime, described the election as marred by “serious non-compliance” — from ballot stuffing to votes cast by deceased individuals.
“The declaration of Ms. Mbabazi as NRM Flag Bearer… is nullified,” the tribunal ruled, ordering a fresh election within 14 days, this time in strict accordance with party rules.
It was Patrick Kyamukate Mutabwire, Mbabazi’s opponent in the race, who raised the alarm. Although he lost by a slim margin, he refused to let irregularities go unchallenged. His petition painted a troubling picture of the vote:
430 ballots had been cast — yet only 364 people were eligible to vote.
The voters’ register included 28 duplicate entries.
Five people had been illegally substituted, and
Three names belonged to deceased individuals — but were marked as having voted.
“This wasn’t just a few errors,” said a supporter of Mutabwire. “It was a system that failed.”
Though Mutabwire had hoped the tribunal would declare him the rightful winner, the panel took a more cautious route. Without conclusive proof on which votes were illegitimate, it declined to speculate — choosing instead to order a fresh election
As news of the ruling broke, Mutabwire’s supporters flooded social media with messages of support and celebration.
“Congratulations to Mr. Patrick Mutabwire upon winning your petition in your party’s election for Older Persons Western Uganda. Your victory had been snatched away,” posted Moses Byamugisha, a member of the opposition FDC, on X (formerly Twitter).
For Jacqueline Mbabazi, the decision was a blow — not just politically, but personally. Her recent candidacy had been viewed by many within NRM as a potential return to active politics after nearly a decade in the background, following her husband’s fallout with the ruling party in 2016.
Now, she faces an uphill battle to regain momentum, with just two weeks to prepare for a re-run.
Mbabazi’s case isn’t isolated. Just weeks earlier, the same tribunal nullified the election of Collins Tanga, son of NRM Electoral Commission boss Dr. Tanga Odoi, who had been declared the winner of the Youth League Chairperson race. In that case, the tribunal pointed to a clear conflict of interest.
As the party prepares for more re-runs, the spotlight is turning inward. What’s happening inside the NRM’s internal elections? And how will the leadership respond to growing questions about transparency and fairness?
