KAMPALA — A high-stakes contest for the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Entrepreneurs’ League chairmanship has taken a troubling turn— with allegations of voter coercion, data manipulation, and a plot to move delegates out of the country ahead of the party’s accreditation process.
Businessman Al-Hajj Hassan Basajjabalaba, a candidate for the national chair, stands at the center of the controversy— accused by delegates of summoning and sequestering dozens of voters in Kampala hotels.
Sources close to the ongoing discussion describe a last-minute maneuver by Basajjabalaba’s camp— allegedly intended to undermine his rival, King Ceasor Augustus Mulenga, who has reportedly gained significant grassroots momentum in recent weeks.
According to multiple delegates interviewed by this desk, a meeting was held today at a hotel in Kireka, where attendees were told they had been brought to Kampala “for accreditation.”
The party’s official timetable shows accreditation for delegates is scheduled for August 26, followed by the Elective National Conference on August 27–28.
NRM Secretariat has noted they haven’t summoned any delegates and that any activity communicated is not known to them.
During the Monday meeting— delegates from various regions, including a reported 43 individuals from Teso, were allegedly housed at a hotel identified as Skyview Hotel Kireka—with other groups said to be accommodated in several other outfits within Rubaga and Makindye.
Delegates claim that organizers photographed them and collected their national identity documents—with some also being asked for their passports.
The most serious accusation centers on a proposal to travel to Tanzania, a plan that several delegates reportedly rejected, likening the move to a kidnap and describing it as coercive.
An anonymous source who attended the meeting provided further detail— alleging the existence of a broader scheme involving “fraudulent individuals, including registrars and some officials inside the party Secretariat.”
The source claimed that this network intended to manipulate delegate lists and create proxy or fake entries while the genuine delegates were kept away.
The national IDs, passports, and photographs allegedly collected at the Kireka venue were said to be for use in this manipulation.
Interviews with delegates reveal claims of inducements offered to secure compliance.
Allegedly, promises of scholarships for their children and payments of UGX 800,000 were made to each delegate.
Several delegates confirmed to this desk that they rejected the travel proposal to Tanzania despite these offers.
The credibility of the scholarship promise is heightened by the fact that Basajjabalaba is the proprietor of Kampala International University (KIU), which has branches in Kampala and his hometown of Ishaka Bushenyi.
Crucially, he also owns branches in Kenya and Tanzania, adding weight to the allegations that delegates were to be shipped to Tanzania.
The allegations come at a critical time for the NRM.
The Entrepreneurs’ League chairmanship is a seat on the influential NRM Central Executive Committee, making this race a key battleground for party patronage and influence ahead of the 2026 electoral cycle.
This remains an active and ongoing investigation.
We have reached out to the NRM Secretariat and to Basajjabalaba’s campaign for comment but have received no public statement as of this publication.
Delegates have indicated they will report the matter to the party’s electoral officers, and the allegations—if substantiated—would likely trigger a formal probe by the party chairman, President Yoweri Museveni.
The president strongly condemned irregularities that marred the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party primaries —warning of tough action against perpetrators.
Museveni expressed concern over what he described as “unpatriotic actors” who allegedly tampered with the party’s democratic process through result manipulation, register tampering, voter bribery, and violence.
“These are politically and ideologically wrong and must be condemned by all lovers of the NRM and Uganda,” Museveni said.
We continue to pursue leads, and we encourage anyone with information to contact this newsroom with documents or a recorded statement.
