For two decades covering the last four elective political terms from 2006 to 2026, the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party has failed to reclaim the Kasese District Woman parliamentary seat. Since the return to multi-party politics in 2005, the seat has remained firmly in the grip of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), despite the NRM fronting candidates in every election cycle.
The last NRM politician to hold the seat was Ms Loice Biira Bwambale, a former Minister of Gender and Culture, who exited Parliament in 2006. Ms Bwambale had previously served as a woman representative for Kasese in the National Resistance Council in 1989, and later as a delegate in the 1993-1994 Constituent Assembly.
From 2006 to 2020, the seat was held by then FDC’s Winnie Kiiza for 15 uninterrupted years. She was later succeeded by the incumbent, Ms Florence Kabugho, also of FDC. As the district heads into the January 15 parliamentary elections, six candidates were nominated to contest for the seat, including the incumbent, Ms Kabugho.
The others are: Ms Sarah Itungu Baleke (NRM), Ms Fatuma Kamama Katembo (National Unity Platform, NUP), Ms Ruth Asyasa Katya (People’s Front for Freedom, PFF) and Independent candidates Maryline Kighotha and Night Victoria. The contest is shaping up as a repeat of the 2021 race, with three familiar faces-Baleke, Kighotha, and Kamama-returning to the ballot. In 2021, both Baleke (NRM) and Kighotha (an NRM-leaning Independent) were defeated by Ms Kabugho, with the pair splitting a substantial portion of the NRM vote.
Political analysts argue that this recurring trend, where the NRM flag-bearer competes against an NRM-leaning Independent, has weakened the party’s chances in Kasese over the past 20 years. In the 2021 polls, Ms Baleke came second with 73,924 votes, while Ms Kabugho secured victory with 101,072 votes. Ms Kighotha garnered 48,542 votes, while Kamama got 12,378. A similar scenario played out in 2016 when the NRM candidate, Ms Jane Asiimwe Muhindo, lost to Ms Kiiza after being challenged by another NRM-leaning independent, Ms Jolly Muhindo. Ms Kighotha is running again on an Independent ticket, in protest of what she described as flawed NRM primaries.
‘I am not the first person to contest as an Independent. The Vice President, [Rtd Maj Jesca Alupo, won her election in Katakwi on an Independent ticket,’ she said, adding that her petition to the NRM tribunal over alleged bribery and irregularities was never addressed. Former Kasese Woman MP Loice Bwambale recently told Daily Monitor that intra-party divisions have repeatedly advantaged the Opposition. ‘I am here accompanying the NRM flag-bearer because she is the official candidate, but you still see other party members failing to pronounce themselves on the flag-bearer. Some leaders support Independents, and this has always favoured the Opposition,’ she said. The NRM District chairperson for Kasese, Mr James Mbahimba, also accused NRM-leaning Independents of confusing voters.
‘These candidates continue wearing NRM attire, and this costs the party by misleading supporters,’ he said.
Candidates’ promises
Ms Kabugho, the incumbent, pledges to work with local leaders to combat domestic violence and teenage pregnancies and to also focus on skilling youth, and supporting women empowerment initiatives if re-elected. ‘I first concentrated on empowering young mothers through training centres for salon management, tailoring, and knitting. I am now going to switch to supporting young boys and women. You vote for me on January 15,’ she said. Ms Kamama promises to lobby for improved health infrastructure in the 44 lower local governments in Kasese.
Ms Kighotha and Ms Baleke argue that issues such as land management, rural education, presidential pledges, domestic conflict, and climate change have not been articulated strongly enough in Parliament. PFF’s Katya says Kasese has not received fair national attention, especially regarding education and market access for agricultural produce such as coffee and vanilla-key crops in the district. Ms Night Victoria says her top priority is improving access to higher education for girls.