Jet Mwebaze: Museveni’s 3 Brothers Used Army to Rig Mawogola North Election

Mawogola North, Uganda — Parliamentary aspirant Jet Mwebaze has accused relatives of President Yoweri Museveni of deploying the military to violently rig the Mawogola North parliamentary election, alleging that voters were intimidated, polling agents chased away and ballot papers manipulated in broad daylight.

In a detailed post-election statement, Mwebaze said the January 15 vote marked the collapse of electoral credibility in the constituency, despite what he described as strong grassroots support during a short but intense campaign.

“We ran an amazing campaign and we want to immensely thank the people of Mawogola North for embracing our message of a new dawn — one free from impunity, brutality and the vulgarisation of our politics,” Mwebaze said.

“In just 105 days, you gave us surprising and heartfelt support. What an experience it has been to walk with you on this pilgrimage of hope.”

That hope, he said, was crushed on voting day.

“On January 15, we witnessed unprecedented levels of violence and brutality meted on our people by the army,” Mwebaze said.

“A force that should be protecting Ugandans forgot the flag on their shoulders and instead unleashed untold violence on our supporters.”

Mwebaze alleged that soldiers from the Uganda People’s Defence Force had effectively taken control of polling stations bymid-morning.

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“By 10 a.m., the UPDF had taken over most polling stations, chased away our agents and brutalised voters who dared to challenge them,” he said. “They took ballot papers from polling officials, ticked them in favour of the NRM candidate and stuffed them into ballot boxes in broad daylight.”

According to Mwebaze, voting had effectively ended hours before the official close of polls.

“At most polling stations, voting was done by 1 p.m.,” he said. “Voters who turned up later were told ballot papers had run out, yet in the end there were more votes ‘cast’ than registered voters.”

Neither the UPDF nor the Electoral Commission had issued an immediate response to the allegations by the time of publication.

Uganda’s security agencies have consistently said their deployment during elections is intended to maintain law and order and protect voters.

However, opposition candidates have repeatedly accused the military of partisan involvement, especially in rural constituencies where turnout is high and margins can be decisive.

Mwebaze claimed the operation was directly overseen by relatives of the president, naming Godfrey Aine Kaguta, also known as Sodo, alongside Shedrick Nzeire and Michael Nuwagira (Toyota).

“This brutality was directly orchestrated and supervised by the President’s stepbrothers,” Mwebaze said. “The power of the gun triumphed over the power of the ballot.”

He said election day was spent responding to arrests and injuries among his supporters.

“We spent the entire day moving between police cells to secure the release of our agents and hospitals where our supporters are still receiving treatment,” he said. “Others remain in jail for no crime at all.”

Ballot papers on the black market

Mwebaze also accused officials linked to the Electoral Commission of complicity, alleging criminal conduct around ballot materials in Sembabule District.

“In Sembabule, ballot papers were available on the black market,” he said. “Someone connected to the Electoral Commission even had the audacity to approach me on the eve of voting and offer to sell them.”

Warning against silence in the face of repression, Mwebaze quoted a well-known reflection from Nazi-era Germany, saying it illustrated the dangers of accepting abuse one step at a time.

“Cry, my beloved country,” he said. “If we keep quiet today, tomorrow there will be no one left to speak.”

Looking ahead, Mwebaze said consultations were underway with lawyers, elders and local leaders to determine the next course of action.

“We are widely consulting and have scheduled a meeting with Mawogola North stakeholders to chart the way forward,” he said. “In my view, we have only two clear options: either we fold our hands and succumb to fraud, impunity and brutality, or we challenge it.”

He added: “We have chosen to challenge it — because it is right, because it is logical, because it is our civic duty, and because history will judge us kindly.”