Mr Muhammad Luswa Luwemba (L) and Mr Moses Nsereko (R)
Candidates, who defied their party positions and ran as independents in the Kawempe North parliamentary by-election, are now facing an uncertain political future. The most affected are members of the Opposition National Unity Platform (NUP), whose party candidate, Mr Erias Nalukoola, won the highly contested election.
NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya said under the party constitution, those who did not tow the party line in the election are no longer part of them. “When a member chooses to run as an independent candidate, they automatically cease to be a member of the party,” he said.
On February 12, NUP declared lawyer Nalukoola the party flag bearer for the Kawempe North MP by-election. However, Mr Muhammad Luswa Luwemba and Mr Moses Nsereko, disagreed with their party’s choice of candidate and ran as independents.
“Wherever I go, people ask about my next move, I have traversed every parish, and the people have said the party president made a mistake [of choosing Nalukoola],” Mr Luwemba said after declaring his intention to run as an independent.
Mr Nsereko, throughout his campaigns, employed a dramatic approach to solicit votes, often claiming that while Mr Nalukoola had the NUP endorsement, he had the backing of the electorate. According to Mr Rubongoya, Mr Luwemba together with his counterpart Mr Nsereko are no longer considered NUP members.
However, he said according to the party constitution, they can rejoin the party by submitting a written request to the secretary general, explaining their reasons for running independently. If the secretary general denies the request, the individuals can appeal to the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).
“For readmission to be granted, the NEC must be satisfied that there are valid reasons for the individual’s desire to rejoin the party. If approved, the individual will receive a new membership card, as their previous card becomes invalid from the time they ran as an independent candidate,” said Mr Rubongoya. The clarification comes amid the expression of desire from Mr Luwemba to return to the party. “I am willing to rejoin NUP and serve any punishment they’ll give me for acting prodigal.
Even if they tell me to clean Chairman Nyanzi’s toilet or mop the entire headquarters, I will,” he said. “I spoke to my President and Secretary General and I told them why I contested. I was like a defender; my role was to defend the Opposition from losing to NRM,” he added.
Defiance
Mr Nsereko, however, remains defiant with the announcement of his intention to challenge the election results in court.
“The Secretary General cannot expel me from the party; it doesn’t belong to his grandparents. In fact, I am taking the matter to court to challenge the election results. I’ll let the court decide how things will unfold,” he said.
On the other hand, Ms Hanifah Karadi, the independent candidate, who is NRM-leaning, is well positioned to re-enter the political scene with ease, given that she has been pardoned by the party.
“Has she abandoned the party? Not quite. Although she chose to run as an independent candidate, her decision doesn’t necessarily mean she severed ties with the party entirely,” said NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong.
Mr Todwong emphasised that while the party’s disciplinary committee makes decisions on how to proceed with individuals who take similar paths, Ms Karadi’s case is unique due to the absence of internal primary elections.
“The absence of primaries for this particular candidature led to a questionable candidate selection process. Given these exceptional circumstances, the committee might consider handling her situation separately,” he said... Ms Karadi said she remains committed to the party.
“Irrespective of all the shortcomings at both parties, I remain firmly NRM at heart,” she said. The developments come after the NRM rejected the outcome of the Kawempe North by-election, citing widespread irregularities and electoral malpractices.
The Kawempe North by-election held last Thursday saw NUP candidate Elias Luyimbaazi Nalukoola declared the winner with 17,764 votes, defeating NRM’s Faridah Nambi (8593 votes), along with eight other candidates. However, the vote was overshadowed by chaos, with security forces several times clashing with opposition supporters, and targeting journalists.
The Electoral Commission also annulled results from 15 polling stations due to violent disruptions. The Kawempe North seat fell vacant following Muhammad Ssegirinnya’s death on January 9.
