NRM youth league elections descend into chaos, cancelled

27 August 2025, 10:48 am

By Byamukama Alozious

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) internal elections for the National Youth League, held on 26 August, descended into chaos and continued past midnight into the early hours of 27 August, after allegations of vote rigging sparked violent confrontations among delegates.

The ruling party is currently conducting elections across its various leagues, but the youth vote proved to be the most contentious. Tensions escalated when some contestants accused election officials of manipulating results in favour of particular candidates.

At the centre of the dispute was Kiconco Brenda, a long-serving youth leader who also serves as the Private Secretary to the President on Youth Affairs and Secretary for Female Affairs on the National Youth Council. She was contesting for the position of Chairperson of the NRM National Youth League.

Her main challenger, Collins Tanga, son of the NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson Dr Tanga Odoi, was controversially declared the winner with 1,167 votes against Kiconco’s 1,355. Dr Odoi himself went on to announce his son as the victor, a move that immediately provoked outrage among delegates, who accused the commission of a conflict of interest and vote manipulation.

The violent scenes that followed forced the party leadership to halt and ultimately cancel the entire election process in the middle of the night. NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong announced the cancellation after reportedly consulting the party chairman, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, via a live phone call.