RWAMPARA WOMAN MP SHOWDOWN! M7 orders Molly Asiimwe to ‘repent’, stop dividing NRM & step down for flag bearer Kansiime
Rwampara district politics went into full-blown drama on Monday after President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni publicly asked independent candidate Molly Asiimwe to repent, stop “tearing the party apart,” and step aside for official NRM flag bearer Annah Kansiime.
Addressing a charged crowd at Bujaga playgrounds, Museveni didn’t mince words. He reminded Asiimwe of her born-again faith and urged her to trust God — by quitting the race.
“Since you are a mulokole (born again), help us and step down. God will intervene for you,” M7 told her as the crowd erupted in cheers.
The President pushed further, accusing independent candidates of weakening the party and warning that those who rigged the primaries are criminally liable.
“If you steal the vote, it is a criminal offence… When court doesn’t help, come to me with evidence and we shall work with police and they arrest the thief. If not, don’t divide NRM.”
Turning again to Asiimwe, Museveni pressed:
“If you are a born again, why don’t you trust God? Trusting in God is one thing that can take you far. Step down and God will bless you in other ways.”
Asiimwe’s troubles stem from an explosive NRM tribunal ruling in August that nullified her victory, accusing her of falsifying results to claim she had defeated Kansiime by over 7,000 votes.
During the proceedings, Kansiime rolled into the tribunal armed with original DR Forms from 231 polling stations — nearly the entire district — showing she had 25,773 votes against Asiimwe’s 18,474.
According to her, she won the race with 26,347 votes, outpacing Asiimwe’s 20,364, and accused the NRM’s District Registrar, Jackson Mutahi, of initially declaring her the winner before a competing declaration form favouring Asiimwe surfaced on social media just hours later.
Kansiime presented not only the original Declaration of Results (DR) Form signed by Mutahi but also a video of him publicly handing it to her, together with photos capturing the moment.
The respondent, Asiimwe, struck back with a counterclaim, insisting she had been declared the winner with 25,810 votes to Kansiime’s 24,166.
She accused her opponent of seizing the DR Form during the announcement, preventing completion of the official paperwork, a claim the tribunal later found unconvincing.
During the tribunal proceedings, two different final DR Forms were presented: one for Asiimwe, dated July 17, and another for Kansiime. Kansiime had the original DR Form in her possession, while Asiimwe only had a scanned copy.
The knockout punch came when video footage showed the district returning officer admitting that his initial declaration in favour of Asiimwe was a “mistake.” He was filmed publicly correcting himself and handing Kansiime the authentic DR Form.
In a follow-up press briefing, he is seen acknowledging the error and handing the declaration form to Kansiime, a moment that became the tribunal’s turning point.
“The petitioner’s Declaration of Results Form, backed by video and photographic evidence and authenticated by the Registrar himself, is the only reliable and authoritative record,” the panel stated in its ruling.
Further investigation painted a clearer picture, as Kansiime presented original DR Forms from 231 out of 243 polling stations, over 95% of the total.
Asiimwe did not object, nor did she offer any competing forms.
A re-tally of those original forms by the tribunal showed Kansiime winning with 25,773 votes to Asiimwe’s 18,474, a margin of 7,299 votes.
The tribunal also raised serious concerns about the conduct of election officials, suggesting possible manipulation of the final tally sheet.
It noted that the vote count for the third candidate, Esananse Komugisha (825 votes), remained unchanged across both declarations, reinforcing suspicions that alterations targeted only the top two contenders.
In the end, the tribunal sided decisively with Kansiime.
“Having found in favour of the petitioner, the tribunal allows the petition and declares Annah Kansiime the duly elected NRM flag bearer for Woman Member of Parliament, Rwampara District,” the tribunal ruling stated.
With the tribunal’s findings and M7’s pressure now turned up to maximum, Asiimwe — who opted to run as an independent — faces growing calls to bow out.
But whether she will “trust God” and step aside as the President demands, or take the fight to the ballot, remains the cliffhanger in Rwampara’s most dramatic Woman MP race yet.
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