Story by Osuta Yusuf.
Maracha District.
1-July-2025.
Following the release of the electoral roadmap by the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party to have its internal party primary election rallies held under joint campaigns effective 1-July-2025, the method has left several potential candidates who got nominated in various Constituencies and Districts to contest for Parliamentary and LC5 Chairperson positions in disarray after the party secretariat has delayed to release to its District Electoral structures, the guidelines that can be used to organize and manage the joint campaigns.
During a meeting held at Maracha District headquarters on Tuesday, 1 July 2025, several Parliamentary Candidates expressed their frustration with the systematic delays by the NRM Party to release the joint campaign guidelines they had preached about.
Allegations of voter bribery, badmouthing, political blackmail, vote rigging, and biases by NRM Party structure officials, both at the district and Sub-county level, took over the beginning of the meeting from most of the Candidates.
In a meeting that was convened by the Office of the RDC and NRM Party at the district, NRM Party Registrar for Maracha District, Mr Letia Jimmy stated that, as of today Tuesday 1-July-2025, he has not received any formal communication or letter from the NRM Party Secretariat, on how they can hold and organize the joint campaigns for the various positions in the district.
“What I don't have, I cannot say I have ABCD”, Letia Jimmy lamented as he urged the candidates to remain patient and await the final communication through him from the NRM Party Secretariat, Kampala.
A Member of Parliament Candidate for Maracha Constituency, Mr Obeta Moses registered his disappointment with the NRM Party structure over this confusion in the said joint campaigns.
“I am reminding myself, when we were nominated at the NRM Party Secretariat, Kampala, we were given copies of the roadmap and guidelines for the campaigns, but now, when you tell me as District NRM Registrar that you don't have the guidelines, I wonder what is happening! This is already a mess”, Mr Obeta, who was furious about this confusion, stated, as he equated it to the possible beginning of vote rigging.
The incumbent Maracha District Woman MP, Hon Driwaru Jennifer castigated some of the candidates for distorting the achievements of others at whatever level.
“Taking into consideration the character of some of the Candidates who love politics of character assassination, smear politics, blackmail, insults, abuses and trying to put down or underrate someone's achievements he or she has made for the people of Maracha District”, it's very unfortunate, Hon Driwaru Jennifer averred and requested the candidates to focus on presenting their manifestos and agenda than focusing on Hon Jennifer or some other candidate.
With some emotional politicians entirely riding on intimidation and blackmail, Hon Jennifer tasked the office of RDC and NRM to ensure the safety and security of both the Candidates and the crowd that will be part of the joint campaigns.
Aduma Yeero Justus, one of the Candidates contesting for the Maracha East Constituency MP seat, who had invited all the Parliamentary and LC5 Chairperson Aspirants in Maracha District to attend the official launch of his campaign, requested the NRM Party structure to provide them with copies of the total number of voters registered in every village.
He expressed worry about whether all the Candidates are going to abide by the laws, the guidelines, and advice being given because a Politician may tell you “A” and they will do “Z”.
A woman MP Aspirant who warned us never to report any news about her, accusing us of favoring her opponent, Hon Driwaru Jennifer, through news coverage, proposed individual campaigns rather than joint campaigns.
She appealed to the NRM party structure and other concerned stakeholders to restrict and monitor voter intimidation, blackmail, and voter bribery, a practice which she said some candidates would want to use to become the winner.
The Aspirant, who all of a sudden developed diarrhea over the Media, asked the district NRM Party structure to regulate some of the Journalists in Maracha District, whom she has repeatedly accused of favoring her opponent, the incumbent woman MP, Hon Driwaru Jennifer.
Uhuru Nelson, one of the MP Candidates contesting for Maracha Constituency, urged the NRM Party structure and the concerned stakeholders to be strict on bribery so that the views and will of the people for whichever Candidate they will vote to become their leader, can not be altered by money.
Another Candidate contesting for the Maracha East Constituency MP seat, Dr Aliti Tom Candia, who was equally disappointed over the guidelines for the joint campaigns, advised his fellow Candidates to use good words when campaigning individually if the joint rallies are delayed.
“From this day, we are going to have spies who will be recording the campaigns of each and every contesting Candidate and if you use divisionism languages, we will play the recordings across all the Social Media platforms so that people will judge what type of politician you are”, Dr Aliti Tom who officially retired from public service and handed over his office on 10-June-2025 to join politics, stated.
One of the Candidates contesting for the Maracha District Woman MP position, Aseru Sarah, registered her disappointment with the NRM party structure, which is letting them down through the delay in releasing the roadmap.
“The reason for all of us candidates to come here is to get the campaign guidelines, and if you guys knew we were not going to come here for the joint campaigns, you would have posted it in the Maracha District NRM Party platform because all of us the Candidates have smartphones”, Aseru stressed while complaining about the misbehavior of some of the NRM Party structure officials especially some Sub-county NRM party Registrars.
Speaking without sugarcoating, Aseru Sarah scratched some of the Candidates who are advocating for No Voter Bribery, NO Intimidation, and No political blackmail, and yet they have always been at the forefront of bribing voters, Intimidating people, and blackmailing their opponents.
At the closure of the meeting, the NRM Party Registrar for Maracha District, Letia Jimmy flagged off the Candidates to kickstart their individual official campaigns as they await the final communication from the party headquarters over the joint campaign guidelines.
As the political environment gains momentum across Uganda, all the Parliamentary and LC5 Chairperson Candidates contesting in the NRM Party primary elections are expected to get voted on 16-July-2025, and thereafter the NRM party flag bearers will tussle alongside other Independent and Opposition candidates who will be nominated to contest for the general elections which will take place in February 2026.
Stay tuned.
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