Tribunal strips Rwampara incumbent Woman MP of NRM flag

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In a stunning political twist, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party’s elections tribunal has nullified the primary election results for the Rwampara District Woman MP seat, overturning the victory of incumbent MP Molly Musiime Asiimwe and declaring her challenger, Annah Kansiime, the rightful flag bearer.

The decision, handed down on August 16, 2025, by a three-member tribunal chaired by John Musiime, followed a hearing and tabled evidence from both parties that exposed a murky tale of disputed forms, clashing vote tallies and an electoral officer’s extraordinary video confession.

Kansiime, a relative political newcomer, filed the petition after party primaries held on July 17, 2025.

According to her, she won the race with 26,347 votes, outpacing Asiimwe’s 20,364, and accused the NRM’s District Registrar, Jackson Mutahi, of initially declaring her the winner before a competing declaration form favouring Asiimwe surfaced on social media just hours later.

Kansiime presented not only the original Declaration of Results (DR) Form signed by Mutahi but also a video of him publicly handing it to her, together with photos capturing the moment.

The respondent, Asiimwe, struck back with a counterclaim, insisting she had been declared the winner with 25,810 votes to Kansiime’s 24,166.

She accused her opponent of seizing the DR Form during the announcement, preventing completion of the official paperwork, a claim the tribunal later found unconvincing.

During the tribunal proceedings, two different final DR Forms were presented: one for Asiimwe, dated July 17, and another for Kansiime. Kansiime had the original DR Form in her possession, while Asiimwe only had a scanned copy.

In a critical blow to Asiimwe’s case, video footage was played showing the district returning officer admitting on camera that his initial pronouncement in favour of Asiimwe was a mistake.

In a follow-up press briefing, he is seen acknowledging the error and handing the declaration form to Kansiime, a moment that became the tribunal’s turning point.

“The petitioner’s Declaration of Results Form, backed by video and photographic evidence and authenticated by the Registrar himself, is the only reliable and authoritative record,” the panel stated in its ruling.

Further investigation painted a clearer picture, as Kansiime presented original DR Forms from 231 out of 243 polling stations, over 95% of the total.

Asiimwe did not object, nor did she offer any competing forms.

A re-tally of those original forms by the tribunal showed Kansiime winning with 25,773 votes to Asiimwe’s 18,474, a margin of 7,299 votes.

The tribunal also raised serious concerns about the conduct of election officials, suggesting possible manipulation of the final tally sheet.

It noted that the vote count for the third candidate, Esananse Komugisha (825 votes), remained unchanged across both declarations, reinforcing suspicions that alterations targeted only the top two contenders.

In the end, the tribunal sided decisively with Kansiime.

“Having found in favour of the petitioner, the tribunal allows the petition and declares Annah Kansiime the duly elected NRM flag bearer for Woman Member of Parliament, Rwampara District,” the ruling stated.

For Kansiime, the decision not only reshapes the political landscape in Rwampara but also casts a spotlight on the integrity of the NRM’s internal electoral processes.