The 2021 General Election unfolded amid widespread abductions of Opposition supporters by state operatives. Ronald Kibuule—then a junior Youth Minister—led Mukono North, the epicenter of these abductions. Now, as more incidents arise, Kibuule wants to reclaim the seat from his rival, Abdallah Kiwanuka. Many constituents still vividly remember those events.
The 2026 General Election in Mukono North will revive a bitter rivalry between Kiwanuka of the National Unity Platform (NUP) and Ronald Kibuule of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM). Several NRM members are already crafting strategies to manage their chaotic primaries. Despite that, Kibuule has declared himself the party’s sole candidate. If he secures the NRM flag, his rematch with Kiwanuka—who ended Kibuule’s two-term tenure in 2021—will likely be intense.
In April, Zam Wadindi Namugawe, a former aspirant, withdrew during a staged event at Nama Sub-county headquarters. She said voters across the constituency reaffirmed their support for Kibuule. He praised her decision as a major step in the NRM’s effort to regain ground lost after many ministers fell in the 2021 polls.
Kibuule announced plans to campaign parish by parish to unseat Kiwanuka, widely known as Mulima-Mayuuni. While Namugawe stepped aside and some supporters endorsed Kibuule, Martha Kakai and Harriet Mutibwa insist on contesting the primaries.
Tensions in Mukono North stem largely from the 2021 campaign’s abductions. Opposition members accused Kibuule of masterminding them, but he rejected the claims. Fear spread even among NRM supporters, who said families of 11 abducted NUP members threatened them. Residents from Kisowera, Kibooba, Kituba, Mpoma, Muduuma, Naalya-Kampungu, Katoogo, and Lukojjo claimed some locals saw them as collaborators.
“Youth were abducted in numberless drones [Toyota Hiace vans], and we barely escaped. Now people blame us—it’s unfortunate,” said one NRM youth during the 2020 campaign.
The whereabouts of Muhammad Kanatta and Yuda Ssempijja remain unknown four years after unidentified men abducted them. Kiwanuka said Mukono North witnessed the most abductions around the 2021 elections. “We’re now paying school fees and supporting the widows of those young men. Kibuule caused all of this,” he claimed.
During pandemic-era campaigns, authorities arrested Kiwanuka while he distributed food at Lutengo, accusing him of spreading a harmful disease. This incident led to his court appearance at Mukono Chief Magistrates’ Court. Kiwanuka saw the charges as politically motivated.
“This is just politics. Others like Kibuule also distributed food, but only I got arrested. I tested negative for Covid-19, so why accuse me?” he said.
Kibuule also faced land grabbing accusations. In 2018, 85-year-old Hosea Ssonko told the Justice Catherine Bamugemereire Land Commission that Kibuule evicted peasants from Nama Village to make way for a Chinese factory. When villagers approached him, Kibuule reportedly told them the project offered greater economic value. He denied the allegations.
Kibuule rose to political prominence in 2011 by winning the Mukono North seat on the NRM ticket. His opponent, Hanifah Nabukeera, accused him of bribing voters with cash, food, and T-shirts, but the High Court dismissed the case due to lack of evidence.
He gained control of Mukono North after the creation of Mukono Municipality, which excluded opposition-leaning areas. This move helped the NRM unseat veteran opposition politician Betty Nambooze, who had beaten NRM’s Peter Bakaluba Mukasa in 2010. Courts eventually ruled against Bakaluba’s 2006 win after a long legal battle. Nambooze later chose to represent the new Mukono Municipality.
In 2016, voters saw the first head-to-head contest between Kibuule and Kiwanuka, then a Democratic Party (DP) candidate. Kibuule won with 11,211 votes. Kenneth Nsubuga followed with 9,409, while Kiwanuka trailed with 6,829.
Before the 2021 election, Kiwanuka joined NUP and defeated Kibuule decisively. He warns that violence similar to 2021 could return. “Kibuule keeps apologising in villages, but nothing has changed. Security operatives still disrupt our meetings. More abductions are possible, but we’ll be ready,” Kiwanuka said.
Kibuule dismissed the claims as immature political tactics meant to tarnish his name.
Controversy has followed Kibuule for years. In 2013, he blamed indecently dressed women for being raped. In 2016, he allegedly assaulted a female guard at Stanbic Bank during a routine search. Although the bank apologised to him, Kibuule accused political rivals of inflaming the issue.
In 2017, during debates on removing presidential age limits, opposition MPs accused Kibuule of smuggling a gun into Parliament, which led to chaos. Then-Speaker Rebecca Kadaga suspended him along with others. Parliament’s disciplinary committee dropped the case, citing the Speaker’s lack of a specific request.
As Mukono North nears another volatile election, the shadows of abductions and political strife still loom.
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