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Although she recently secured the NRM party flag after a hotly contested primary, Annet Katusiime’s political future appears increasingly uncertain
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Political Desk
Bushenyi
Annet Katusiime Mugisha, the incumbent Woman MP for Bushenyi District, is facing renewed political pressure as internal NRM divisions deepen and constituents express frustration over unfulfilled service delivery promises ahead of the 2026 general elections. Although she recently secured the NRM party flag after a hotly contested primary, Katusiime’s political future appears increasingly uncertain. Key concerns from constituents center on poor service delivery, particularly in hard-to-reach and economically disadvantaged sub-counties such as Bitooma, Ruhumuro, Kakanju, Nkanga, and Kizinda-Kigoma Town Council.
Annet Katusiime and her husband Eng. DR. Silver Mugisha during the nomination in Kyadondo
In Nkanga Sub-county and Kizinda-Kigoma, residents are still waiting for the establishment of government health facilities — a basic service that the Woman MP is accused of failing to lobby for during her term in office. "How do you expect us to vote for someone who hasn't even brought a health centre to our area?" asked a resident of Nkanga.
In Bitooma Town Council, electricity poles that were erected nearly seven years ago still stand without wires — a symbolic representation, residents say, of broken promises and abandoned projects. Access to piped water remains a major challenge in several rural communities, despite repeated campaign pledges to improve infrastructure.
Katusiime's 2020–21 campaign leaned heavily on the Bamugisha Community Welfare Organisation, which she pledged would uplift livelihoods through youth and women empowerment, clean water initiatives, and improved health services. However, critics now argue the initiative has gone silent, with minimal visible impact on the ground. "She used Bamugisha to promise us a better life, but all we've seen are handouts during campaign time. Nothing sustainable has come to us," said a PWD leader from Bitooma Town Council.
Beyond service delivery concerns, the MP is also grappling with internal NRM divisions. Her recent election as NRM Vice Chairperson for Bushenyi District has raised questions about divided focus, with critics saying her growing involvement in party structures could be distracting from her parliamentary responsibilities. Additionally, her open support for certain candidates during local NRM primaries has drawn backlash, with some party insiders accusing her of fueling factionalism.
Observers further point to her failure to reconcile with the over 30,000 voters who backed former minister Mary Karooro Okurut in the 2020 elections. Despite her landslide victory of over 80,000 votes that year, Katusiime is said to have made little effort to bring former rivals and their supporters back into the fold — leaving divisions that could cost her at the ballot box.
Kemigisha Vianah makes a u-turn to Independence
The recent NRM primaries themselves have become a source of contention. Kemigisha Vianah, who lost to Katusiime in the internal race, has since declared her intention to run as an independent candidate, citing irregularities in the electoral process.
According to Kemigisha, the Bushenyi District NRM Electoral Commission issued two conflicting declaration forms, which she claims were part of an effort to manipulate results in favor of the incumbent. One form, signed by the district NRM registrar Archangel Barekye, shows Katusiime with 52,282 votes against Vianah’s 33,208. A second form, however, shows Katusiime with 49,604 votes and Vianah with 32,279. Kemigisha says she never signed either form — an omission she argues casts serious doubt on the legitimacy of the outcome.
"With such inconsistencies and lack of transparency, it's clear the process was compromised. That is why I am taking the independent path," she said.
Kemigisha claims the declaration forms had comflicting results and she never signed on any
As the campaign season draws closer, Katusiime's political future may hinge on her ability to bridge divisions within the NRM and deliver on long-standing promises. Without doing so, what was once considered a safe seat could easily slip through her fingers.
Torch Media Africa
