Sejusa Condemns ‘Unopposed Culture’ as Tayebwa, Among, Rivals Blocked from 2026 Race.

Former coordinator of intelligence services Gen. David Sejusa (Tinyefuza) has lashed out at Uganda’s ruling party leaders after opposition candidates challenging Speaker Anita Among and Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa were blocked from nomination, describing the incidents as “a shameful assault on democracy.”

Both Among and Tayebwa — two of the most powerful figures in Uganda’s political establishment — are now set to return to Parliament unopposed after the Electoral Commission (EC) disqualified or frustrated their challengers during the nomination process.

Tayebwa’s Rival Blocked in Ruhinda North

In Mitooma District, Osbert Kato, the National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate for Ruhinda North County, said he was prevented from completing his nomination despite meeting the EC’s listed requirements.

“I went to the nomination venue with my forms and seconding supporters,” Kato told reporters.

“After submitting my forms, they asked me to step outside. Later, they called me in and handed back my academic papers, saying they only needed forms bearing National Identification Numbers.”

He said EC officials then began verifying the NINs of his seconding supporters “one by one until 1 p.m., when they broke off for lunch,” effectively running down the clock on the final nomination day.

Kato was due to be nominated at 10 a.m. on Thursday — the same day Tayebwa was cleared unopposed to represent Ruhinda North in the 12th Parliament.

Sejusa: ‘Why Would Anyone Want to Pass Unopposed?’

Reacting to the events, Gen. Sejusa condemned what he called a “toxic culture of fear and manipulation” within Uganda’s political system, accusing ruling party elites of avoiding accountability and public scrutiny.

“And my brother Richard finds this funny? These UPC games are stupid and a shame. I don’t care whether those young people were bought out or kidnapped as alleged — it all stinks!” Sejusa said in a post on X.

“Why would a politician want to pass unopposed in the first place? Absolute bonkers!”

The outspoken retired general, who once served as President Yoweri Museveni’s intelligence coordinator, said true leaders must earn their mandate through public engagement, not procedural obstruction.

“If President Museveni, who led wars that ushered in NRM, at his age, still subjects himself to the rigors of a national campaign — even carrying his wife, at her age, to explain their plans and seek opinions of the people — why would younger politicians want to pass unopposed without giving the population a chance to scrutinize them?” Sejusa asked.

He urged the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) to “clean its house” and restore internal democratic discipline.

“What type of leaders are these? NRM leaders? At that level?” Sejusa said. “I hope NRM’s internal mechanisms can stop this nonsense.”

Among Also Returns Unopposed in Bukedea

Sejusa’s comments come days after Speaker Anita Among was also declared unopposed for the Bukedea Woman MP seat following a series of chaotic developments in which opposition candidates were either deleted from the voters’ register or went missing.

Among’s main rival, Asio Florence, who had been unveiled by NUP earlier this week, disappeared on her way to nomination from Soroti to Bukedea. Her whereabouts remain unknown, according to NUP officials.

“It’s becoming a pattern — one that normalizes uncontested power and silences alternative voices,” said a Kampala-based political analyst. “When leaders stop competing, democracy stops functioning.”

Mounting Criticism of the EC

The Electoral Commission (EC) has come under growing criticism for alleged bias and incompetence in handling nominations.

Opposition parties accuse the EC of working under pressure from state actors to secure unopposed wins for high-ranking officials ahead of the 2026 general elections.

EC spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi urged frustrated MP aspirants to tender their concerns with the electoral body for resolution.

Both Among and Tayebwa are senior members of the NRM, who previously belonged to opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).

Sejusa’s blunt remarks — echoing frustration from both ruling and opposition ranks — underscore a deepening crisis of confidence in Uganda’s electoral process.

“A democracy that fears competition is already dying,” Sejusa warned. “Ugandans deserve leaders who can face their people, not hide behind manipulation and fear.”