Mutufu Town Council in Sironko, Tensions flared on the electoral grounds during the NRM structures elections after Hon. Florence Nambozo Wamala, the State Minister for Karamoja and Sironko District Woman MP, fled the scene upon facing defeat.
Initially vying for the Women League position for Mutufu Town Council, Minister Nambozo quickly withdrew her candidacy upon learning that 34 out of 44 women openly opposed her. She then shifted her ambitions to the position of General Secretary. However, preliminary vote tallies showed her trailing behind her opponent, Kissa James, the outgoing NRM Chairman of Mutufu Town Council. With 96 votes to Kissa’s 104, her team allegedly resorted to violence and disruptions.
The situation escalated, prompting the minister to storm out of the gazetted election area. Security authorities were forced to cancel the electoral process for the safety of voters and officials.
This isn’t the first time tensions have risen around the Minister’s conduct. Kissa James, locally known as “Wofeda,” was previously denied entry to a presidential model farmers’ meeting at Eng. Mudebo’s residence is allegedly under Minister Nambozo’s directive. The incident reportedly triggered a heart attack that has since left him partially paralyzed by stroke.
Further scrutiny of the minister’s voter line revealed irregularities. Of the 96 votes she garnered, many were reportedly ineligible: voters aged between 30–35 were wrongly presented as elderly (the minimum age being 65), and she presented 10 veteran officers in her line, despite Mutufu Town Council officially listing only five.
Due to these disruptions and fraudulent practices, the NRM Electoral Commission announced that the elections for Mutufu Town Council will be repeated the following day.
Political observers have condemned the conduct of the Minister, stating that such actions erode the integrity of the party and waste valuable public resources. A senior local mobilizer remarked, “It’s deeply unfortunate that a sitting minister would choose personal ambition over party unity and transparency.”
