Today, the residents of Kawempe North Constituency head to the polls to elect their new Member of Parliament in a by-election marked by heavy security presence and an atmosphere of palpable tension.
The vote, triggered by the death of National Unity Platform icon Muhammad Ssegirinya in January 2025.
As polling stations opened at 7:00 AM across the constituency’s six designated sites, including Mbogo Primary School, voters encountered a formidable cordon of Uganda Police Force officers, military personnel, and members of the elite Special Forces Command (SFC)
The deployment follows a campaign period marred by violence, arrests, and allegations of electoral interference, setting the stage for a contentious election day.
The heavy security presence comes as little surprise to Kawempe’s residents, who have witnessed escalating clashes in the lead-up to the polls.
The nomination process in late February saw chaos when NUP candidate Erias Nalukoola Luyimbaazi was briefly barred from the EC offices, and his campaign manager was reportedly abducted, only to be released hours later.
The by-election pits NRM’s Faridah Nambi, backed by President Yoweri Museveni and a promise of government led development, against NUP’s Nalukoola, who has rallied support by invoking Ssegirinya’s legacy of grassroots defiance. Other candidates, including independents and representatives from the Democratic Party and Forum for Democratic Change, round out a field of nine, but the contest is widely seen as a Museveni-NUP showdown
Security officials have defended the deployment, citing the need to prevent a repeat of the violence that erupted during nominations and campaign
As polling continues until 4:00 PM, with results expected late tonight, Kawempe North remains a litmus test for Uganda’s democratic process.