Minister quits Sironko NRM vote as rival wins landslide
Suleiman Lumolo Mafabi celebrates after winning the NRM Sironko District chairperson vote. Inset is State Minister for Karamoja Affairs and MP Florence Nambozo. PHOTO/FRED WAMBEDE
What you need to know:
Ruling NRM party rocked by internal row in Sironko District.
Renowned businessman and long-serving National Resistance Movement (NRM) district chairperson for Sironko, Suleiman Mafabi Lumolo, has retained his seat in a heated internal election that saw State Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Florence Nambozo, walk out before voting began.
The polls, held Friday at Nampanga Primary School under tight security from the Uganda Police and Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), unfolded under NRM’s lining-up voting method. Delegates were screened and tagged before casting ballots.
Although Nambozo, who also serves as Sironko District Woman MP, arrived at the venue, she left abruptly without addressing delegates. Her agent remained to represent her as the vote proceeded. Lumolo secured 881 votes; Nambozo received only 11.
“I am grateful to the people of Sironko for trusting me again. We must now focus on uniting the party and delivering on our mandate,” Lumolo said.
However, Nambozo rejected the outcome, alleging irregularities including a manipulated register and restricted access for her supporters.
“As a candidate, I demanded the register, but the administrative secretary said there was no law requiring him to give it to me,” she said during a local radio talk show in Mbale City.
She added: “This undermines the democratic principles of our party.”
Her withdrawal echoes a similar move last week in the Mutufu Sub-county NRM Women’s League race, which she exited while also citing electoral malpractice.
The rivalry between Nambozo and Lumolo traces back to the 2021 general elections, when Lumolo’s daughter, Asha Nabulo Mafabi, defeated Nambozo in the NRM primaries. Nambozo then ran as an independent and won, a move that some party leaders saw as a betrayal.
Political observers note that since 2021, Nambozo’s standing within the NRM has weakened amid accusations of aligning with opposition figures, including FDC Secretary General Nathan Nandala Mafabi.
Speaking after his re-election, Lumolo said the NRM would intensify mobilization to reclaim key political seats in Sironko, including the LC5 chair and parliamentary constituencies currently held by the opposition FDC.
“We are ready to kick out the opposition. The NRM has delivered on its promises, from roads to health services,” Lumolo said, noting his personal contribution of building the party’s first district office.
District Speaker Samuel Mafabi credited the NRM’s local strength to government programs like the Parish Development Model and Emyooga, which he said have boosted public support.
With both camps sharpening their strategies, Sironko is expected to become a key battleground in the 2026 general elections.
