Tension has escalated within the National Resistance Movement (NRM) in Mukono District after party members accused the district party leadership of corruption and mismanagement of campaign funds.
The accusations stem from the party’s poor performance in the recent parliamentary and local government elections, in which NUP swept all parliamentary seats in the district.
Speaking at a meeting held at Buyuki Village in Nama sub-county on Sunday, disgruntled members, including several NRM flag bearers who lost in the elections, accused Mukono District NRM Chairperson, Hajj. Harunah Ssemakula, of abandoning candidates at the grassroots during the campaign period and weakening party mobilisation efforts.
“He used to get vehicles to transport people at NRM rallies, and he would fail to clear them in time. They cited an example at Kiyunga primary school where they held Buganda Ku Museveni rally, and people got stuck till night after delayed payments,” the members said.
Joseph Wamala Maseruka, a former NRM flag bearer, alleged that corruption within the party leadership denied candidates access to vital campaign resources.
“Money was released to support campaigns, but it never reached the grassroots,” Maseruka said. “Some of us did not receive any support at all.”
Several members demanded Ssemakula’s resignation and said they plan to petition the NRM secretariat to investigate the alleged misuse of funds.
Umar Ssebuyungo, the NRM flag bearer for Chairperson of Mukono Central Division, said the party’s performance in the district contradicted national calls for strong grassroots mobilisation.
“In Mukono, we failed to win even a single parliamentary seat,” Ssebuyungo said.
In response, Mr. Ssemakula dismissed the allegations, saying funds from the party secretariat were allocated only to specific categories of candidates. “I received only Shs 63 million and equally distributed it to all villages in Mukono for mobilisation,” Ssemakula said.
The only position claimed by NRM is the disputed LC5 chairperson seat, after the returning officer, Emily Amongin, declared two winners for the same position, Johnson Muyanja Ssenyonga of NUP and Lukooya Mukoome of the NRM.