Liberation Day Showdown: Kabale RDC Hands Stadium Keys to NRM Office.

Kabale Resident District Commissioner Godfrey Nyakahuma has ruled in favor of the District NRM Office in the dispute over the use of Kabale Municipal Stadium on January 26, 2025. 

The stadium has been at the center of a heated battle between the Kabale District NRM office and former Kabale Municipality MP Andrew Ajja Baryayanga through the Kabale District Football Association (KADFA), who both sought to use it as the venue for NRM Liberation Day celebrations.

Kabale Municipal Town Clerk who is the Chief Custodian of the Stadium had earlier ruled in favour of KADFA, on the “First come, first serve” protocol.

However, In the latest development, Nyakahuma has written to the Kabale Municipality Town Clerk, instructing him to open the stadium’s gates for the NRM Office on January 26.

Nyakahuma says he had received guidance from the NRM Secretary General and the Permanent Secretary for Local Government to postpone all other activities organized by KADFA on the same day.

This website has also obtained a copy of the letter written by the NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong asking all NRM supporters to convene at Kabale Municipal Stadium on January 26, 2025 for the NRM Liberation Day. Todwong has also thanked the District NRM Chairperson David Bahati thanking him and the office for the initiative to hold mini NRM Liberation Day Celebrations .

January 26 marks the anniversary of the National Resistance Army’s ascension to power in 1986, led by Gen. Yoweri Museveni, which toppled the UPC Government and ushered in the longest-serving regime in Ugandan history. Since then, January 26 has been celebrated as NRM Liberation Day under the NRM Government.

Despite national celebrations being held in Mubende District this year, various groups in Kabale District have decided to hold mini-celebrations, largely influenced by the ongoing political season. The celebrations have sparked a frenzy of political activity, with several individuals vying for key positions.

Key figures mentioned in the dispute include Sheikh Kassim Kamugisha, the Wakiso DRDC and Kabale District NRM Youth League Chairman; former Kabale Municipality MP Andrew Ajja Baryayanga; and State Minister of Industry David Bahati, who is also the Ndorwa West MP and NRM Chairperson Kabale District. 

Both Baryayanga and Kamugisha have expressed interest in contesting the Kabale Municipality MP seat, currently held by FDC’s Dr. Nicholas Kamara, while Bahati faces stiff competition from Baryayanga for the Chairperson NRM Kabale District position.

The next NRM Primary election to choose MPs is scheduled for August 2025, while the general election will take place in January 2026. This website will continue to provide updates on the developments surrounding the battle for Kabale Municipal Stadium as they unfold, up to January 26, the NRM Liberation Day ¹.