Basajjabalaba, Tugume clash as Igara West MP race ends in 880-vote drama

Businessman Hassan Basajjabalaba and Tugume Boniface are at the centre of controversy after chaos at the Bushenyi tally centre as Igara West was decided by just 880 votes.

A photo combo of Businessman and Bushenyi NRM boss Hassan Bassajabala (L) and Igara County West parliamentary candidate Tugume Boniface (R)

Bushenyi, Uganda: Western Uganda businessman and NRM party power broker Hassan Basajjabalaba and Igara West parliamentary contender Tugume Boniface are at the heart of a growing storm over what transpired during last week’s vote tallying at the Bushenyi District Council Hall, where the Igara County West race was decided by a razor-thin margin of 880 votes.

Official declaration forms issued by the Electoral Commission show that Amanya Cohen Kyampene of the NRM was declared winner with 19,797 votes (48.18%), narrowly edging Tugume, an NRM-leaning Independent (PLU), who polled 18,917 votes (46.04%).

The remaining candidates posted distant tallies: Muhabuzi Horace (1,350), Macho Mubarak (405), Musinguzi Arnold Mugisha (230), Tumuramye Robert Bahiga (203), Nimwesiga Dan (103) and Tumutegyereize Onesmas (84). A total of 41,089 valid votes were counted, alongside 912 invalid ballots.

But behind the numbers lies a tense and disputed tallying process that has now ignited national attention.

What unfolded inside the tally centre

Multiple eyewitnesses present at the Bushenyi District Council Hall on January 16, 2026, say tension escalated sharply as the final stages of tallying approached. At that moment, Basajjabalaba allegedly entered the restricted tally centre accompanied by a uniformed Uganda People’s Defence Forces officer and several unaccredited individuals.

Accounts from within the hall indicate that a confrontation followed almost immediately, during which Tugume and his lawyer, Tusiime Emmanuel, were forcibly removed from the tally centre. Witnesses describe the use of physical force and intimidation, carried out openly in the presence of election officials and security personnel.

Despite the disruption, tallying continued, and the District Returning Officer proceeded to declare Kyampene the winner, without the presence of one of the two leading contenders or his legal representative.

The most contentious aspect, according to observers, is that the declaration was made while the contest remained extremely tight, raising concerns about procedural fairness in a race decided by fewer than a thousand votes.

A familiar pattern from the primaries

The tally-centre incident has revived memories of the July 2025 NRM primaries in Bushenyi, where similar accusations of intimidation, interference by politically powerful actors and the visible presence of security personnel were reported.

Local political actors say the same dynamic, where influential individuals allegedly override electoral safeguards while institutions remain passive, played out both during the primaries and the general election.

“What people saw last week did not begin at the tally centre,” said a local mobiliser. “It is something that has been building since the primaries, where power and fear replaced persuasion.”

The Igara West outcome has triggered intense debate in Bushenyi over what residents describe as arrogance of power and the normalisation of impunity during elections. Particular concern has been raised over the alleged involvement of uniformed soldiers in what should be a strictly neutral civilian process.

While election guidelines restrict security forces to maintaining order and expressly prohibit partisan involvement, legal observers note that the exclusion of a candidate and their lawyer during tallying, especially in such a close race, casts a long shadow over the integrity of the declared result.

By press time, Basajjabalaba had not publicly responded to the allegations, and the Electoral Commission had yet to issue a detailed explanation of how the disruption at the tally centre was handled.