Outgoing State Minister for Foreign Affairs for Regional Cooperation John Mulimba has accused senior National Resistance Movement officials of using money and influence to manipulate internal party elections, calling for corruption investigations to extend beyond Parliament and into the NRM Secretariat.
In explosive remarks that have intensified tensions within the ruling party, Mulimba directly accused former Speaker Anita Among and NRM Treasurer Barbara Nekesa of distributing large sums of money to influence the election of the Workers Member of Parliament.
“We expected the second national chairperson and the national treasurer to protect the flag bearer, Agnes Kunihira Abwooli,” Mulimba said.
“Instead, Anita Among and Barbra Nekesa distributed millions per voter and brought down Kunihira and presented Fiona Nakku, who is a biological sister to the national treasurer.”
Mulimba said President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni should widen the ongoing anti-corruption campaign and target individuals within the ruling party accused of misusing money and power.
“If you are talking about corruption and impunity and you think it is only hidden in Parliament, I have given you a hidden example,” he said. “Museveni should stretch his arm and kick corruption out of NRM and arrest people like Nekesa and her entire group.”
The minister further alleged that recent NRM internal elections were heavily influenced by cash handouts coordinated by powerful party officials.
According to him, some candidates moved with convoys carrying large amounts of money specifically meant for bribing voters during campaigns.
“You would see someone moving with three vehicles, but one of them was specifically carrying money,” Mulimba claimed.
He also alleged that political operatives camped in his Samia Bugwe constituency with nearly UGX 7 billion intended to weaken his political support base.
Mulimba claimed some of his mobilisers were offered between UGX 5 million and UGX 10 million to abandon him, while voters allegedly received between UGX 50,000 and UGX 100,000 during polling.
The minister linked the political attacks against him to his close association with Persis Namuganza, one of Anita Among’s strongest critics within the NRM.
According to Mulimba, influential figures inside the party turned against him after he sided with Namuganza during her disagreements with the former Speaker.
The allegations come at a time when scrutiny over spending and accountability within the ruling party remains high.
Critics have recently questioned expenditure linked to the controversial drone show organised ahead of President Museveni’s swearing-in ceremony, an event that reportedly cost nearly UGX 2 billion despite lasting only a few minutes.
The aerial display, promoted as a major technological showcase ahead of the Kololo inauguration ceremony, ended abruptly after drones briefly appeared over Ntinda, leaving many Kampala residents disappointed.
At the time, allegations emerged that much of the money budgeted for the event never reached the actual technology suppliers, with claims that powerful individuals within the NRM Secretariat benefited from the expenditure.
Mulimba’s remarks are now expected to increase pressure on anti-corruption agencies and President Museveni to demonstrate whether the accountability campaign will also target influential figures within the ruling party.
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