The Bufumbira East County parliamentary aspirant and Kisoro District LC5 Chairman, Abel Bizimana, has condemned the alleged commercialization of the just-concluded National Resistance Movement (NRM) party primaries, following his heavy defeat in Thursday’s elections.
Bizimana, a long-serving district leader, garnered only 588 votes out of 31,697 cast, finishing far behind Roland Kanya Nkrumah, who won the race with 16,725 votes. Dr. James Nsababuturo came second with 12,756 votes, followed by Tumwizere Christopher with 1,384, and Dr. Adrian Niyimpa Dungu, who secured 243 votes.
Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) account, Bizimana expressed disappointment over what he described as a “money-driven” electoral process. He accused some candidates of spending exorbitantly to buy votes, claiming that in rural areas, votes were being bought for up to Shs 130,000 and as much as Shs 250,000 in urban centers.
“My party, oh my party! This was not an election but a display of wealth by oligarchs. I wish that money had been used for service delivery,” Bizimana posted. “Young Turks in the party are being suffocated, but we shall find a way to participate in the leadership of our country. We couldn’t match the abnormal money spent. What do you expect from a parent who hasn’t paid school fees and is offered that much?”
Bizimana further alleged that religious and traditional affiliations are increasingly shaping electoral outcomes in Kisoro, a trend he warned could usher in unqualified leaders.
“NRM is no longer a home of equals. In Bufumbira East, the contest shifted from party ideology to Kingdom vs. Bulayi, with a strong religious undertone. The party has become a theatre for moneybags, not a platform for genuine elections,” he tweeted. “The incumbent would have won again, but the voters were tired. We, the rest, were left with fewer resources and minority religious support.”
Despite his loss, Bizimana urged his supporters to stay calm and vowed to contest as an independent candidate in the 2026 general elections.
“Whoever wins the Kingdom vs. Bulayi battle, we shall meet at the Uganda Electoral Commission. I had to show the NRM that we, the new Turks, will not give up. The party has buried us, but we are not done yet,” he concluded.
