Grace Akifeza Ngabirano emerged victorious in the Kisoro Woman MP by-election, securing a seat in Parliament for the southwestern district for the next year, until the 2026 general elections.
In a tight race, Akifeza, running as an independent candidate, garnered 50,459 votes, defeating her rival Rose Kabagyeni of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) by nearly six thousand votes. Kabagyeni, a former MP, had been seen as a front-runner but was unable to overcome Akifeza’s strong independent campaign.
Kisoro District Returning Officer, Daniel Nayebare, declared Akifeza the winner in the early hours of Thursday morning after a tense and prolonged wait for the final result. This victory marked a significant turn in a race full of political drama and unexpected twists.
The by-election, triggered by the passing of MP Sarah Mateke in September, saw five other candidates, none of whom received more than a thousand votes. The election ultimately became a two-way contest between Akifeza and Kabagyeni.
The race had been marked by political maneuvering from the outset. Initially, NRM officials backed Ruth Nyiraneza, daughter of the NRM district chairman Philemon Mateke, as the successor. However, Nyiraneza withdrew from the race, and President Museveni’s directive for party aspirants to step down for Akifeza led to divisions within the party. Despite the backing of five candidates, seven others, including Kabagyeni, resisted, and Kabagyeni went on to claim the NRM flag after winning the party primary by 700 votes.
However, Kabagyeni’s nomination sparked tensions within Kisoro, with local NRM leaders like Philemon Mateke publicly endorsing Akifeza, accusing NRM’s top leadership of imposing Kabagyeni on the district. Akifeza, refusing to concede in the primaries, ran independently and ultimately triumphed, signaling a potential end to Kabagyeni’s political career in the region.
This victory solidifies Akifeza’s position as a significant figure in Kisoro’s politics, while raising questions about internal party divisions within the NRM.
