The National Unity Platform (NUP) has dominated in Busoga sub-region, winning three municipalities and divisions in the recently concluded mayoral elections.
NUP flag bearers secured victories in Iganga Municipality, Jinja South Division, and Jinja North Division, while NRM candidates won Kamuli and Bugiri municipalities.
Jinja City NRM General Secretary, Medi Ntuuyo, attributed NUP’s dominance to weaker grassroots mobilisation by NRM flag bearers.
“NRM’s strong mobilization during the presidential and district elections delivered great wins, but afterwards, grassroots efforts slowed, leaving an opportunity for the opposition,” Ntuuyo said.
He added that NRM candidates became complacent, assuming their teams would campaign for them automatically using the same resources from the previous elections, but that strategy did not work.
Iganga District NRM Chairperson, Abubaker Walubi, noted that the reduced popularity of President Museveni created space for NUP flag bearers to gain ground in Busoga.
“People in Busoga support Museveni, which is why many NRM flag bearers won seats during the LC5 elections and subsequent polls, riding on his wave,” Walubi said.
NUP’s strong performance is attributed to the influence of urban areas, according to Ibrahim Ndoga, a member of the National Publicity Committee for the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).
“When you analyze closely, there is massive support for NUP in developed towns. The same applies here in Busoga, so this win was expected,” Ndoga said.
However, a source within the NRM in Jinja blamed party members’ selfishness for costing them seats. The Jinja City NRM publicity secretary, Amina Mirembe, attributed the party’s defeat to infighting among members, particularly during the party primaries.
“Infighting within NRM began during the primaries, pushing some members to support NUP, whose leaders remained united and backed their candidates at all levels,” Mirembe said.
Morrison Moses Bizitu, the Busoga Regional coordinator of NUP, attributed their strong performance to the BVVK, which helped prevent their opponents from engaging in vote-rigging. “BVVK helped us prevent vote rigging by our opponents, which enabled us to win most of the seats,” Bizitu said. He added that the NRM has nothing new to offer after 40 years in power.
“People are tired of the NRM. After 40 years in power, the party has nothing new to offer and has become complacent, no longer reflecting the will of the people,” Bizitu said.
Meddy Mutebi, the Chairperson of NUP in Jinja City, said the party performed strongly across parliamentary and mayoral races.
“In Jinja, we have performed well at almost all levels, including the parliamentary level. The NRM has nothing new to offer after staying in power for 40 years, which is why people decided to vote for NUP candidates,” Mutebi said.
Jinja City made history in the 2026 general elections after NUP swept all four parliamentary seats in the city, ending decades of shared dominance with the NRM.
However, the trend was reversed at the district level, where the NRM retained dominance across Busoga, winning in most of the sub-region’s 12 districts. NUP secured district-level victories only in Bugweri and Iganga.