Rebecca Kadaga confirms candidacy as Uganda vs Senegal tickets sell out

22 August 2025, 1:47 pm

By Ronald Ssemagonja

Former Speaker of Parliament and Minister for East African Community Affairs, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, has confirmed that she remains a candidate for the position of Second National Vice Chairperson (Female) in the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Central Executive Committee elections.

Speaking to the media today in Kampala, Kadaga dismissed reports that she had been disqualified following a meeting held yesterday at State House. The meeting, chaired by NRM party chairman and President Yoweri Museveni, reportedly aimed to persuade either Kadaga or Rt. Hon. Anita Among to step down in favour of the other. Both rejected the proposal.

“Yesterday, there was a meeting at State House, and someone wrote online that I was disqualified. This is not true, and I am here to confirm that I am a candidate for the position of Second National Vice Chairperson (Female). I have done a number of things, including supporting women and girls by paying tuition for them in various universities,” Kadaga said.

The minister noted that more than 20,000 women and girls have benefited from her leadership, citing initiatives such as establishing a daycare centre in Parliament and championing the welfare of parliamentary reporters.

Addressing claims that President Museveni’s loss in the Busoga region during the last elections should be blamed on her, Kadaga argued that the president did not only lose in Busoga but also in Buganda. She emphasised that the setback should not be attributed to her as an individual.

The NRM party is scheduled to hold its delegates’ conference from 26 to 28 August 2025 at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds in Kampala, where members will elect central executive committee representatives for positions including Eastern, Western, Central, and Youth. Yesterday’s meeting resolved that Museveni and his deputy, Moses Kigongo, would retain their positions. However, sources who wished to remain anonymous revealed that some members resisted calls to step aside for others.

Meanwhile, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the CHAN 2024 tournament has announced that tickets for Saturday’s match between Uganda and Senegal are sold out. Addressing journalists at the Uganda Media Centre, Dr Dennis Mugimba, chairperson of the LOC Communications and Signage Subcommittee, urged fans without tickets not to purchase from unauthorised sellers to avoid falling victim to counterfeit tickets.

“As the Local Organising Committee, we would like to thank the supporters who endeavoured to buy tickets for Saturday’s game. We appeal to fans who were unable to get tickets not to buy from anyone because there are people selling duplicated tickets. We wish the Cranes success in their next match on Saturday,” Mugimba said.