By Aggrey Baba
The head of the Democratic Party Electoral Commission, Kennedy Mutenyo, has spoken out about the violence he suffered during the DP delegates’ conference in Mbarara, saying he was physically assaulted by unknown youths believed to be loyal to Bukoto Central MP Richard Sebamala.
Mutenyo said the attack happened shortly before he was due to release the names of candidates nominated to contest for leadership, including the controversial position of party president.
“They came looking for me because they heard I was going to release the nomination list. I was pushed, I fell, and injured my arm. I’m still recovering,” Mutenyo said.
The conference, meant to bring together over 1,000 delegates, turned chaotic as rival camps, one loyal to current DP president Norbert Mao and the other backing Sebamala, clashed over eligibility, rules, and control of the agenda.
At the center of the storm was Sebamala’s desire to contest against Mao for the top seat. But Mutenyo, relying on the party constitution, declared Sebamala ineligible.
According to him, the requirement is that a candidate for party president must have been a fully active DP member for a minimum of five years, and Sebamala had only served four years and eight months.
This decision immediately sparked uproar from Sebamala’s supporters, who accused the party leadership of using technicalities to block competition and cling to power.
Sources said Sebamala’s group disrupted the meeting several times, attempting to hijack the agenda and force the electoral commission to bend the rules, and it was during one of these scuffles that Mutenyo was attacked.
After the attack, the conference descended into further chaos. Security was tightened around the hall, and some delegates fled in fear as groups shouted at each other, accusing one another of corruption, bias, and betrayal, a scuffle which resulted into beating Mutenyo like a chicken thief.
Despite the tension, the conference resumed and Mao was re-elected unopposed for another five-year term as party president. But the bitter taste remained.
Mutenyo, who has worked in DP for years, said what he witnessed in Mbarara was heartbreaking and exposed deeper problems in DP, describing the experience as painful, saying the party had started to mirror the same corruption it often accuses the ruling NRM of practicing.
He also revealed that powerful individuals in government had tried to influence him before the vote, calling him and asking him to clear Sebamala’s nomination, but he resisted the pressure and remained neutral, which, in his view, made him a target of the violence.
According to him, the people who attacked him were not ordinary delegates. He described them as hired youths, possibly not even members of the party, who were deployed to intimidate and destabilize the process.
In the aftermath of the conference, Sebamala and five other DP members dragged Mao to court, challenging the legitimacy of the process and accusing him of colluding with the ruling NRM government.
Sebamala has publicly accused Mao of aligning with the NRM behind the backs of the party structures, arguing that the party must return to its independent roots.
In earlier remarks, Sebamala claimed that only a few regions of the country had chosen to follow Mao’s leadership, while the rest of the party remained committed to a more independent DP.
While Mao remains in office, the party is more divided than ever. Supporters of Sebamala feel betrayed, while those close to Mao insist they followed the law. As for Mutenyo, he says he is still in pain (both physically and emotionally).
