By Aggrey Baba
The first day of parliamentary nominations in Bugiri District on Wednesday exposed a sharp contrast between the opposition, especially the National Unity Platform (NUP) and the National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidates.
While NUP aspirants drew large crowds and held processions across town, the NRM team completed nominations quietly, without the usual show of numbers and resources that the party is known for.
The nomination exercise was conducted at the Electoral Commission offices in Bugiri amid heavy security and excitement from residents who turned up to witness the start of the 2026 MP campaigns.
By mid-day, NRM’s Eunice Namatende, the flag bearer for Woman MP, and John Francis Okecho, contesting for Bugiri Municipality MP, had been nominated. Both left the venue quietly after the exercise, without processions or crowds, and Solome of their supporters who had donned yellow T-shirts were were overheard saying the campaigns would start after the party released facilitation funds. Sources close to the candidates also said they were waiting for financial support from the party before holding public rallies, adding that both candidates are financially crippled.
The low-profile nominations drew attention, with many residents noting the unusual silence from the ruling party, which for years has dominated the district’s politics.
Later in the day, NUP candidates, led by Woman MP hopeful Rebecca Namumbya and Bugiri Municipality aspirant Mercerino Egesa, arrived in a large convoy that turned the town red. The two were joined by other party candidates for local government positions in a joint parade that moved through the streets before converging at Bukooli Technical Grounds for their first campaign rally.
At the rally, Namumbya criticized government for failing to improve social services in Bugiri since it became a district in 1997. She said the district continues to face collapsing schools, poor health facilities, and high poverty levels, pointing out that Bugiri Hospital still operates in buildings constructed during the Milton Obote era and blamed the NRM government for neglecting key sectors such as health and education while spending on unnecessary activities.
Namumbya told residents that the district needs leaders who represent ordinary people, not those who defend political godfathers in Kampala, a statement which was seen by many as a veiled jab directed to Municipality MP Asuman Basalirwa, whom has severally been accused by NUP party leaders and supporters of being in bed with the ruling regime.
The rally was marked by the declaration by Mr. Gwebatuma Alashura, the District Youth Chairperson (NRM) and Ge. Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) mobilizer, who publicly endorsed Namumbya.
Gwebatuma said Namumbya had shown commitment to community service and that amongst all the candidates who had already been nominated, and those expected to be nominated today, Namumbya is the only person represents the needs of ordinary Bugirians.
Though still NRM, he announced that he was quitting his role as PLU mobilizer in Bugiri, saying the group had lost touch with reality, a declaration which drew loud cheers from NUP supporters, who said his endorsement was a sign of growing change in the district.
Bugiri Municipality candidate Mercerino Egesa told the rally that voters deserve an MP who lives among them and understands their daily challenges. In a veiled jab at Basalirwa, he said people were tired of leaders who only return to their constituencies during election time.
Bukooli North MP aspirant Jamal Mukuve (Dyadyadya), known for his outspokenness, told residents to use their votes as a weapon to end Museveni’s poor leadership, in an emotional speech drew loud chants from supporters waving NUP flags.
Later, Mwonda Musitafa (Kanywamusayi), the Municipality Mayor, on the NUP ticket took aim at MP Asuman Basalirwa, accusing him of abandoning his constituents and using Bugiri as a political ladder. He claimed that Basalirwa was more focused on his interests in Kampala and Nairobi (where he owns buildings, yet he owns no home in Bugiri) than on local issues. Kanywamusayi said Basalirwa hates Bugiri to an extent that despite having multiple wives, Basalirwa has even never dated and woman from Bugiri, proof that he hates Bugiri and only uses its people for his personal games. “Are there no beautiful women in Bugiri?” Kanywamusayi asked.
Basalirwa, who will be nominated on Thursday, faces growing criticism from within the opposition after NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi openly decampaigned him during his recent visit Bugiri, where he endorsed the NUP candidate Mercerino Egesa, accusing Basalirwa him of working with the ruling establishment, and betraying the struggle.
In an interview with Mulengera News, NUP District Chairperson Johnson Ntalo said the party is aware of Bugiri’s history of election result manipulation, where powerful NRM figures allegedly influence who gets declared.
He said NUP has prepared better this time to protect its votes. According to Ntalo, the party has recruited polling agents for all stations in the district to ensure that declaration forms are collected from every polling center.
Ntalo warned that anyone who tries to tamper with NUP votes “will taste the bitterness of the red camp,” adding that the party has learnt from past mistakes and now has a well-organized election team in place.
He urged the Bugiri to turn up in large numbers and vote for NUP candidates at all levels, saying the country needs leaders who care about citizens’ welfare.
As nominations continue today, with Basalirwa, and Bukooli Central MP Solomon Silwany expected to be nominated, the political landscape appears to be changing. The large turnouts at NUP rallies and the quietness of NRM aspirants have sparked discussions about shifting loyalties in the district, where NRM has for decades dominated the political arena.
For a district long considered politically calm, the 2026 race is shaping up to be more competitive, with visible energy from the red camp and growing signs of fatigue within the yellow ranks. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
