The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) concluded its nationwide party primaries on Thursday to determine parliamentary flag bearers for the 2026 general elections, an exercise that delivered both resounding victories and stunning defeats.
While some high-profile figures, including Vice President Jessica Alupo, Speaker of Parliament Anita Among, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, and First Deputy Prime Minister Rebecca Kadaga, retained strong support within the party ranks, several longstanding and familiar political figures were swept aside in what many are calling a wave of electoral reckoning within the NRM.
One of the most notable defeats was that of Lwemiyaga County MP Theodore Ssekikubo, a veteran legislator who has served for two decades in Sembabule District.
Ssekikubo lost to Brig. (Rtd) Gen. Emmanuel Rwashande in a tightly fought and symbolic race that highlighted shifting allegiances among the party’s grassroots base.
Similarly, Barnabas Tinkasimire, another long-serving MP representing Buyaga West for the past 20 years, was ousted by Denis Namara, who won with a commanding 48,166 votes against Tinkasimire’s 18,288.
In Bukoto South, Twaha Kagabo, the incumbent MP who defected from the National Unity Platform (NUP) to NRM in 2023, failed to secure a fresh mandate from the party faithful.
He was defeated by Hajji Muyanja Mbabali in a heated contest that tested loyalties and patience.
Trade Minister David Bahati, one of the more prominent voices in government, suffered a surprise loss in Ndorwa West. He was edged out by lawyer Eliab Naturinda Mporera in a tightly contested vote, with Naturinda polling 25,027 votes against Bahati’s 23,759.
In Amuria County, the political landscape shifted yet again, as State Minister for Works and Transport, Musa Francis Ecweru, was beaten by Samuel Ediau.
The result was seen as a critical moment in Teso sub-region politics, where Ecweru has held considerable sway.
The surprise defeats extended to Bunyangabu, where Minister of State for Gender, Peace Mutuuzo, lost the Woman MP race to Sarah Kabarokole — a political newcomer who many had underestimated going into the polls.
In the Eastern region, former Masaka RCC Hussein Hudu was narrowly edged out in the Mbale City Northern Division race by Umaru Nangoli. And in Jinja South West, the defeat was particularly severe for former RDC Eric Sakwa, who garnered a mere 72 votes against the 9,290 polled by former MP Moses Balyeku.
Media personality and former NBS TV journalist Victoria Bagaya also failed in her political debut, losing the Fort Portal City Woman MP race to Linda Irene, who won with a wide margin of 9,160 votes to Bagaya’s 3,662.
about:blankAs the dust settles, analysts are pointing to a clear trend of voter independence within the NRM’s ranks. What was once a domain of incumbency advantage has become a field of intense competition, where service delivery, community presence, and party loyalty are being measured more strictly by voters than ever before.
The results indicate a major recalibration within the NRM machinery, one that reflects both voter fatigue with longstanding figures and the emergence of a new cadre of political actors seeking to redefine the party’s image ahead of the 2026 polls.
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