State Minister for Trade and long-serving Ndorwa West MP, David Bahati, has broken ranks with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), declaring he will run as an independent candidate in the 2026 general elections.
Bahati, who has represented Ndorwa West since 2006, suffered a surprise defeat in the July 17th NRM primaries, losing to first-time contender, 38-year-old counsel Eliab Naturinda. Naturinda secured 25,027 votes (50.9%), edging out Bahati who polled 23,759 votes (48.3%), while Edwards Mwesigwa trailed with 416 votes.
In a series of viral videos shared on his TikTok account, Bahati urged voters to rally behind him and President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in the 2026 race, praising the President’s contribution to national stability and development.
“Why would you change a scoring striker? Our service in Parliament has put Ndorwa West on Map. We want to focus on household income in the next term. That’s why Government has invested Millions of Money in Parish Development Model (PDM) Program”. He said.
Addressing supporters at NRM Offices in Kabale town on Sunday, Bahati described electoral malpractice as a “dangerous cancer” eating away at Uganda’s democracy.
“Vote rigging is a betrayal of the people’s will. Those responsible must be dealt with decisively. We must safeguard the sanctity of the ballot at all costs,” he said on Sunday, shortly after receiving a heroic welcome from hundreds of supporters in Kabale ahead of his nomination.
Bahati vowed to restore integrity to the electoral process while continuing his development agenda for Ndorwa West.
“Let us send a clear message that democracy in Uganda will not be hijacked. My mission is not just about reclaiming victory; it’s about protecting the voice of every voter in Ndorwa West County,” he declared.
Museveni Had Warned Against Independent Bids
Bahati’s defiance comes just days after President Museveni cautioned NRM members who lost in party primaries against running as independents, warning that such actions would fragment the party vote.
Speaking at State Lodge Arua last week, Museveni said:
“Where there are NRM and opposition candidates, I wouldn’t advise you to come as independents because if you do and things go wrong, you will be the one to blame. Even where there are only NRMs in the race, use the law so that you don’t confuse our people.”
He cited the loss of over 21 NRM parliamentary seats in Buganda in the last election due to divisions between flagbearers and independents.
Museveni urged aggrieved candidates to pursue legal channels if they believed the primaries were marred by malpractice.
“If it was an electoral offense, get me the facts so that we can act criminally against those involved. There’s a legal way to go about it, and crime has no time limit,” he said.
He further warned aspiring politicians against joining politics while financially unstable, advising them to build economic resilience before seeking public office.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled parliamentary nominations for October 22–23, 2025, signalling the next critical stage in Uganda’s 2026 electoral roadmap.
