Mukono NRM Members Accuse District Leadership of Campaign Fund Mismanagement, Demand Chairperson’s Resignation

Disgruntled members of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) in Mukono District have accused the party’s district leadership of corruption and mismanagement of campaign funds, blaming the alleged failures for the party’s poor performance in the recent parliamentary and local government elections.

Tensions within the ruling party escalated after a group of party members, including several NRM flag bearers who lost in the elections, raised the concerns during a meeting held at Buyuki Village in Nama Sub-county.

The members accused the Mukono District NRM chairperson, Harunah Ssemakula, of abandoning candidates at the grassroots during the campaign period, a move they say weakened mobilisation and coordination across the district.

According to the disgruntled members, Ssemakula failed to provide financial and material support to party flag bearers, stalled key party activities and undermined coordination at lower administrative levels.

The members further alleged that Ssemakula received funds from the NRM secretariat meant to facilitate campaigns and grassroots mobilisation but failed to distribute the money to candidates.

They claimed that many flag bearers received no support before, during or after the elections.

Joseph Wamala Maseruka, a former NRM flag bearer, said corruption within the district party leadership denied candidates access to vital campaign resources.

“Money was released to support campaigns, but it never reached the grassroots. Some of us did not receive any support at all,” Maseruka said.

Several members demanded Ssemakula’s immediate resignation and revealed plans to petition the NRM secretariat to investigate the alleged misuse of campaign funds. They cited unfulfilled promises and repeated electoral losses as evidence of failed leadership.

Umar Ssebuyungo, the NRM flag bearer for chairperson of Mukono Central Division, said the party’s poor performance contradicted national calls for effective grassroots mobilisation.

“In Mukono, we failed to win even a single parliamentary seat. All our candidates lost,” Ssebuyungo said.

However, Ssemakula dismissed the accusations, insisting that funds from the party secretariat were allocated to specific categories of candidates.

He confirmed receiving Shs63 million, which he said was distributed to villages to facilitate mobilisation activities, including boda boda transport.

“I received only Shs63 million and equally distributed it to all villages in Mukono for mobilisation,” Ssemakula said.

He added that another amount he received was specifically meant to support parliamentary, mayoral and LC5 candidates, not councillors.

NRM registered a poor performance in Mukono District, losing all parliamentary seats, while most local government positions were won by opposition candidates.

The only seat claimed by the ruling party is the disputed LC5 chairperson position, after the returning officer, Emily Amongin, declared two winners for the same seat,  Johnson Muyanja Ssenyonga of the National Unity Platform (NUP) and Lukooya Mukoome of the NRM.