Kampala, Uganda – The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) Electoral Commission has formed a 29-member tribunal to address grievances arising from the party’s recent primaries.
The tribunal, set up on Friday, will handle complaints from aggrieved candidates who participated in the party’s Thursday primaries, as part of efforts to prevent defections to independent candidacy ahead of the 2026 general elections.
The tribunal has officially opened its registry to receive complaints from dissatisfied candidates, marking a key step in the NRM’s strategy to resolve internal conflicts and discourage members from running as independents.
The move comes in response to the fallout from past elections, where numerous NRM members defected to independent campaigns after alleging irregularities in the party primaries, weakening the ruling party’s performance in several constituencies.
Enoch Barata, the NRM Director of Legal Affairs, stated that the tribunal has a window of 45 to 50 days to schedule hearings and adjudicate the disputes.
He emphasized that the body will thoroughly examine complaints to ensure fairness, adding that any proven electoral malpractices that substantially affected the results would lead to the annulment of the affected outcomes.
The establishment of the tribunal underscores the NRM’s broader effort to maintain party unity and prevent a repeat of past scenarios, where internal divisions led to a fragmented vote.
The tribunal is expected to begin hearings soon and issue rulings before the official nomination period, as aggrieved candidates are urged to submit petitions promptly to reinforce party discipline and uphold democratic principles.