KISORO, UGANDA – Ndikuyeze Ramathan, a mayoral aspirant for Kisoro Municipality, has formally petitioned the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Electoral Commission, calling for intervention over alleged irregularities in the elections held on Thursday, 24th July 2025.
The petition follows a series of meetings involving Ndikuyeze, fellow aspirants Nambajimana Alex and Mbonigaba John King, and various NRM stakeholders, including security officials.
The first of these meetings, chaired by the Kisoro District Resident Commissioner on 25th July 2025, resulted in a contentious decision to conduct a re-election solely in Karumena Village on 26th July. The resolution drew strong opposition from Ndikuyeze and Mbonigaba, who argued that re-elections should be held in three key villages: Karumena, Kisoro Main, and Kisoro Hill.
Following this meeting, Ndikuyeze and Mbonigaba held a press conference at Namagana Petrol Station, denouncing the outcome as unfair to them as mayoral aspirants.
In response to the backlash, a second closed-door meeting was convened by district security teams and NRM stakeholders on 26th July to reassess the earlier resolution. However, no new decisions were publicly disclosed.
Later that day, Ndikuyeze released a formal letter dated 25th July 2025, addressed to Kisoro District NRM Registrar Mujambere Tadeo and copied to NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson Dr. Tanga Odoi. The letter, also submitted to the NRM elections tribunal, detailed several alleged irregularities in the voter registration and election process.
Ndikuyeze claimed that many eligible voters in Kisoro Municipality were unable to register properly due to limited access to voter registration books in some villages. He also noted widespread reports of voters being excluded from the official voters’ lists—an issue he says may have significantly compromised the credibility of the election.
In the letter, Ndikuyeze urged Dr. Tanga Odoi and the elections tribunal to:
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Conduct a thorough review of the voter registration process,
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Investigate discrepancies in the voter lists, and
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Cancel the results of the mayoral elections held on 24th July 2025, unless confirmed valid by voters.
He emphasized that these steps are crucial to ensuring transparency and fairness for all eligible voters in the municipality.
Mayoral aspirant Mbonigaba John publicly expressed solidarity with Ndikuyeze’s concerns, pledging to work together in defense of their constitutional rights as party candidates. Mbonigaba rejected the idea of a re-vote limited to Karumena Village, insisting the alleged electoral issues extend to Kisoro Main and Kisoro Hill as well.
He further claimed to possess critical evidence of voter irregularities across the municipality and called for a broader re-election process to uphold electoral integrity.
As of Saturday, 26th July 2025, the NRM registrar had not yet declared a winner for the Kisoro Municipality mayoral race. No official results from the 24th July election have been released.
This ongoing uncertainty has sparked widespread debate among party members and residents over the fairness and transparency of the electoral process. The united stance of Ndikuyeze and Mbonigaba continues to amplify calls for accountability within the NRM.
The political atmosphere in Kisoro remains tense as the municipality awaits further action from the party’s electoral bodies.
