Janet Museveni’s District in Chaos as NRM Registrar Shamelessly Declares Two Winners in Same Election

NTUNGAMO, UGANDA – A cloud of shock and embarrassment has descended on Ntungamo District after the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Party Registrar, Maria Mirembe, bizarrely declared two different winners for the same seat in the recently concluded party primaries.

The dramatic twist comes just two weeks after Mirembe herself had officially declared youthful contender David Aryatuha the victor for the LC5 Councillor seat representing Nyamukana Town Council. Aryatuha had defeated veteran politician and wealthy businessman Amos Natuhwera in what many locals saw as a rare triumph of grassroots energy over entrenched political power.

Official results showed Aryatuha garnering 1,284 votes against Natuhwera’s 1,265 votes, sealing a narrow but decisive win. Armed with his declaration form, the official proof of victory, Aryatuha believed his political journey had just begun. But his optimism was shattered when, two weeks later, Mirembe reportedly called him and demanded that he return the declaration form.

The declaration form I got was mine. It’s proof that I won the election. How do I return it? I also learned she was planning to declare my opponent instead, Aryatuha told our reporter.

A Plan Hatched in the Shadows

According to multiple sources in Ntungamo district, Natuhwera and Mirembe “went to bed together politically” – masterminding a plot to overturn Aryatuha’s victory. Their alleged weapon was Aryatuha’s lack of political connections and his naturally reserved personality.

Born into a humble family with no history of political influence, Aryatuha is known in his community as a quiet man who rarely seeks the spotlight. This, locals believe, made him an easy target for Ntungamo’s brand of backroom power games.

Kitsyama Village: The Battleground

At the center of the dispute is Kitsyama Village, where Aryatuha secured a landslide win – 146 votes to Natuhwera’s 22. This result is now under siege.

Mirembe and Natuhwera allegedly claim Aryatuha only received 46 votes in Kitsyama. However, the presiding officer for the village, Alex Nkwasiibwe, and his deputy have both signed a written statement confirming the original tally of 146 votes for Aryatuha and 22 for Natuhwera.

Instead of relying on official tally records, locals say Mirembe and Natuhwera stormed Kitsyama village a few days ago, convened a meeting, and distributed cash – reportedly between UGX 15,000 and 20,000 per person – to persuade residents to support the reduced vote count for Aryatuha.

If Maria is a true and honest person of our party, why does she do this shameful act to damage the NRM’s image? If Amos won, why bribe people? one resident questioned.

Maria was supposed to rely on the information available on the village declaration forms, which she avoided.

A Declaration from the Bedroom

In an unprecedented move, Mirembe went ahead and declared Natuhwera the winner. By law, once a registrar declares a winner, their role in the process is over. Any disputes must be lodged with the NRM Electoral Tribunal, which then reviews the evidence and makes a ruling.

Instead, Mirembe personally and illegally, shamelessly nullified Aryatuha’s win and issued a fresh declaration to Natuhwera – a move that violates  NRM’s own electoral guidelines.

This is political theater at its worst,” one party official in Ntungamo said off record. The registrar declared David a sinner and Amos a winner without any lawful authority.

Shaming the First Lady’s District?

The scandal is particularly embarrassing because Ntungamo District is the political home of First Lady and Education Minister Janet Kataaha Museveni, who also serves as the NRM District Chairperson.

For party faithfuls, the question now is unavoidable: Why would Maria Mirembe choose to stage such a shameful spectacle in the First Lady’s own district – dragging the party’s name into the mud?

By the time of filing this story, repeated phone calls to Mirembe went unanswered. Natuhwera also declined to comment on the allegations.

Apparently, Nyamukana Town Council now has two winners for one seat – a political absurdity that has thrown NRM’s credibility into fresh crisis. Whether the party leadership will step in to correct the mess remains to be seen.

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