The Kabale District NRM Party Chairman, David Kwesiga Bahati, has officially been nominated as an independent candidate for Ndorwa West Constituency.
Bahati, who also serves as the incumbent Member of Parliament for Ndorwa West County and State Minister for Trade, was nominated on Wednesday by District Electoral Commission Registrar Aisha Nansubuga at the Electoral Commission offices in Kabale Municipality.
When asked if he had resigned as District NRM Chairman following his independent nomination, Bahati said the election of the District NRM Chairman and parliamentary primaries had concluded, and he is now focused on the general elections in January next year. He assured that while he will actively campaign, the NRM office will continue to operate normally.
Dressed in NRM party colors, Bahati was nominated at exactly 11:20 AM, with a house chosen as his campaign symbol. He expressed disagreement with the NRM primary results, drawing a parallel with President Museveni’s decision to go to the bush during the Obote era when he opposed election outcomes, saying he could not remain passive.
CUE IN BAHATI….ON THE MATTER…..RR//
Bahati, who has held the NRM flag bearer MP seat for 20 years, lost the party primaries to Eliab Naturinda Mporera. Bahati received 23,759 votes (48.3%), while Mporera garnered 25,027 votes (50.9%).
His decision to run as an independent comes just days after President Museveni warned NRM members who lost in party primaries against defying the party and running independently, citing the fragmentation of the party vote as a risk.
Speaking at State Lodge Arua last week, Museveni referenced the loss of over 21 NRM parliamentary seats in Buganda in the previous election due to divisions between party flag bearers and independents.
Museveni encouraged aggrieved candidates to seek legal recourse if they suspected malpractice during the primaries and advised aspiring politicians to build financial stability before seeking public office.
