Museveni orders arrest of NRM electoral offenders
CAPTION: One of the victims of election violence in Kamuli being supported bt friends. (File photo).
By Stephen Wandera Ouma
KAMPALA – President Museveni has ordered the prosecution of individuals accused of electoral fraud, violence, and bribery during the recently concluded National Resistance Movement (NRM) party primaries held on July 17, 2025.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Sunday, July 20, Museveni condemned what he termed as “unpatriotic actors” who sought to undermine the party’s internal democratic processes.
He singled out four categories of electoral malpractice: result alteration, tampering with voter registers, use of violence (including reported fatalities), and bribery.
“These are politically and ideologically wrong and must be condemned by all the lovers of the NRM and Uganda,” Museveni said.
“However, the good thing is that the mistakes they are committing are also crimes by the law of the State of Uganda which renders them prosecutable. We are, therefore, going to prosecute these mistake-makers.”
The president directed security and legal authorities to prioritize cases where results were fraudulently altered—citing the use of open-voting by lining behind candidates as a mechanism that makes discrepancies easy to verify.
“If, therefore, you altered the results, we are coming for you. It is not only the registrar that knows the results village by village,” Museveni warned.
“The next to deal with are those who caused violence. That criminality must have been witnessed by many people. We shall go for the wrongdoer.”
At least two people are reported to have died in election-related clashes in various parts of the country, and dozens more were injured.
Several party officials, registrars, and security personnel have already been implicated in irregularities, including tampering with registers and accepting bribes.
The President’s remarks come amid growing public pressure for transparency in the NRM’s internal electoral processes, especially following several high-profile disputes—including the dramatic arrest of the Rwampara District Registrar, Jackson Mutahi, last week for attempting to alter results in favor of an incumbent candidate.
Museveni acknowledged that not all incidents were malicious, noting that further scrutiny is needed in cases where bloated voter registers were reported.
However, he expressed confidence that the law would catch up with those who deliberately undermined the process.
“Where soldiers and policemen are involved, you need to answer the question: ‘Was it the soldier’s mistake, or were some goons trying to disarm the security personnel as was being planned by the bankrupt leaders last year?’” Museveni said, referencing past unrest.
The NRM Electoral Commission confirmed that over 9.22 million members participated in the primaries—nearly half of the party’s confirmed membership of 18.5 million. The turnout, Museveni said, was “not bad” for a mid-week working day, and a testament to the party’s strength.
Still, the President lamented the “pollution” of the process and reminded party members of the NRM’s mission to “kukyenuura” (solve solvable problems) through rational leadership, not chaos and criminality.
“Why, then, do you tolerate and be used by the unpatriotic elements that pollute our beautiful process of democracy with violence, bribery, cheating, etc.? It is so annoying,” he said.
Legal analysts note that it remains to be seen if President’s position may signal a broader crackdown on electoral malpractice in Uganda as the country gears up for the 2026 general elections.
Museveni told the peaceful voters and party loyalists: “Where problems were encountered, do not be provoked. We shall get the culprits.”
