Six Namisindwa NRM officials nabbed over sh549m fraud

________________

Several senior leaders of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) in Namisindwa district have been arrested over alleged misuse of funds meant to facilitate village-level mobilisation conferences, following protests by party members from six sub-counties.

Those arrested are district NRM vice-chairperson Charles Nasimolo, finance secretary Cyrus Kimaku, general secretary Peter Mukisa, chairperson NRM Bupoto sub-county Anthony Wakayiya and Abdul Nakhabala of Namisindwa town council.

These were arrested on the orders of Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Elijah Madoi after a tense security meeting held at the district headquarters on December 17, 2025.

The arrests followed demonstrations by disgruntled NRM members drawn from Bupoto, Namisindwa town council, Namabya, Mukhuyu, Bumbo, and Lwakhakha town council. The protesters accused party leaders of diverting funds that had been allocated to refund transport costs for participants attending village mobilisation conferences in six sub-counties that make up Namisindwa district.

According to the party members, each village was supposed to receive shillings 630,000 to facilitate transport for delegates attending the conferences. However, they instead received only shillings 300,000 per village, sparking anger and suspicion of financial impropriety.

The demonstrators stormed the district headquarters on Monday, demanding accountability and immediate explanations from the NRM's district executive committee (DEC). Their actions compelled Madoi to convene an emergency meeting involving security officials and NRM district leaders on Wednesday morning.

Addressing journalists shortly after the meeting, Madoi said investigations had revealed serious inconsistencies in the handling of the funds.

He disclosed that a total of shillings 549,780,000 meant for mobilisation activities was allegedly misappropriated, while only shillings 62,820,000 had been recovered at the time of the arrests.

“This money was meant to facilitate the mobilisation of support for NRM's candidate Yoweri Museveni and all party flag bearers ahead of the coming political activities,” Madoi said.

“While there were two conflicting circulars from the party secretariat that caused confusion, it is clear that a large portion of the funds was misused by some members involved in the distribution process.”

He added that security agencies would continue investigating to ensure that all the missing funds are recovered and that those responsible are held accountable.

Where is the money?

Before being taken into the Police cells, Kimaku told reporters that not all the money was handled at the district level. He claimed that part of the balance had been handed over to NRM sub-county chairpersons in the six affected sub-counties.

“The remaining funds were left with the sub-county chairpersons. We are ready to cooperate with authorities and follow up to ensure that whatever is missing is recovered,” Kimaku said.

The Namisindwa NRM flag-bearer Emma Bwayo, welcomed the arrests and called for a thorough investigation, saying the scandal had unfairly damaged the image of party flag bearers.

“This incident has given our political opponents an opportunity to accuse NRM leaders unjustly,” Bwayo said.

“The money was meant to facilitate mobilisation, not to enrich individuals. Anyone found culpable must be arrested, and the funds should reach the intended beneficiaries.”

He also urged village NRM chairpersons to exercise transparency, noting that many had been accused by members of taking a disproportionate share of the funds.

Meanwhile, Namisindwa NRM district chairperson Aramanzan Wabuko confirmed the arrest of the DEC members and said the recovered shillings 62.82 million had already been secured by authorities. He added that disbursement of the remaining legitimate funds to the six sub-counties began on Wednesday afternoon under tight supervision.

Wabuko assured party members that corrective measures had been put in place to prevent a recurrence of such incidents, emphasising that accountability and discipline were essential for the party’s grassroots mobilisation efforts.

Police investigations into the matter were still ongoing by press time.

Occasionally,  President Museveni has also issued stern warnings to fraudsters, saying that those who misuse or steal government and programme funds will face arrest and prosecution and must be held fully accountable to protect public resources and community development efforts.