President Yoweri Museveni has revealed that 333 individuals have been arrested and 48 charged over widespread electoral malpractice in the recent NRM parliamentary primaries, as part of a sweeping crackdown aimed at restoring order and credibility within the ruling party.
Museveni described the arrests as a critical step in confronting what he called “a serious mistake” that tainted the July 17 parliamentary flag bearer elections, which were marred by chaos, rigging, and vote tampering.
“Up to now, a total of 333 persons have been arrested and 48 of these have been charged in court, 13 of whom are NRM district registrars,” Museveni stated. “They are to face prosecution in connection with, mainly, altering the results.”
The President noted that investigations remain ongoing, particularly against individuals involved in voter bribery and illegal manipulation, and encouraged Ugandans to report anyone linked to further electoral misconduct.
“The use of money for politics, beyond the legitimate needs of logistics, is in spite of my vision and that of the NRM—and not because of us,” he said in a separate address.
The intensified enforcement appears to be paying off. Museveni expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the July 24 NRM primaries for LC5 chairpersons, city mayors, and local council leaders—calling them calmer and cleaner than the previous round.
“This is not bad at all if you bear in mind that this was, again, mid-week and on a working day… The more peaceful and fraud-free nature of the exercise is on account of the decisive anti-crime actions we took,” Museveni said.
According to figures received by the President, over 7.95 million registered NRM members took part in Thursday’s elections.
While some districts are still submitting results, others have already declared winners, including those who ran unopposed.
