Irregularities Mar NRM Grassroots Polls in Kumi District

The recently concluded National Resistance Movement (NRM) grassroots elections in Kumi District have been marred by widespread irregularities, sparking outrage among local party members and aspirants.

Allegations of electoral malpractice have cast doubt over the integrity of the village-level polls and prompted calls for urgent intervention from the party’s top leadership.

According to the Kumi District NRM Chairperson, Opolot Sam, the most affected sub-counties include Kadami, Kakures, Ongino, Atutur, and the remote Tisai Island Sub-county.

Opolot reported that non-NRM members were allowed to vote in several locations, while in some instances, ineligible individuals were permitted to stand as candidates.

“Tisai Sub-county has particularly raised serious concerns,” Opolot stated. “We are shocked to learn that individuals whose names were not in the official Yellow Book were allowed to participate in both voting and contesting.”

One of the most troubling cases emerged in Tisai, where an individual acting as the NRM sub-county registrar reportedly contested for a position in the party’s structure despite not appearing in the official party register.

This dual role, as both electoral officer and candidate, has raised serious questions about conflict of interest and abuse of the electoral process.

Supporting this claim is a formal complaint submitted by Mr. Idekem Paul, an aspirant for LC1 flag bearer of Ulo Village, Acera Parish, Tisai Sub-county.

In his letter dated May 6, 2025, addressed to the NRM leadership in Kumi, Idekem expresses disbelief over how his opponent, Mr. Aisu Sam, the very registrar for the sub-county, contested in an election he presided over.

“The name of Mr. Aisu Sam is not in the Yellow Book, yet he stood as a candidate and supervised the election at the same time. This undermines the principles of transparency and fairness in our party,” Idekem wrote.

Other disgruntled party members have also come forward with complaints.

Okello Robert, and Amuun Charles are among those demanding that the NRM establish robust conflict resolution mechanisms to address the grievances emerging from the grassroots electoral process.

They argue that unless the party takes decisive action, internal divisions could widen, weakening NRM’s structures ahead of national campaigns.

“The party must urgently establish independent mechanisms to handle petitions. If these issues go unresolved, they risk breeding apathy and rebellion within the party,” said Kokas Odongo.

Joseph Robert Opio an observer in Kumi says that the integrity of grassroots elections is critical, as the elected leaders form the backbone of NRM’s structures at all levels.

Any compromise at this stage, they warn, could affect the credibility of future elections, including primaries and general elections.

As pressure mounts, NRM district officials have promised to escalate the complaints to the party’s secretariat in Kampala.

Opolot Sam reiterated that the party is committed to internal democracy and promised that investigations would be launched where necessary.

“This party belongs to all of us,” he said. “We must ensure that the will of the people is respected and that rules are followed to the letter.”

Efforts for a comment from Aisu went futile as our repeated calls went unanswered by Press time.