MUBENDE.
At least one person has been shot , two vehicle and a motor cycle set ablaze following clashes between rival camps in Kasambya Constituency in Mubende District .
The violence erupted on Monday evening in Kitera Village, Nabingoola Sub-county, during a campaign trail ahead of the ruling National Resistance Movement ( NRM) primaries for the Kasambya parliamentary seat, which is being hotly contested between incumbent legislator David Kabanda and his archrival , Henry Muhumuza.
The victim, reported to be a supporter of Muhumuza was shot in the leg and currently receiving treatment in hospital His identity had not been released by authorities at press time on Monday evening.
According to Muhumuza, the chaos erupted as his supporters arrived in Kitera for a scheduled joint rally. He said he had adhered to a campaign plan developed after attending a harmonization meeting with the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), which other candidates failed to attend.
“Upon arriving at Kitera to hold a scheduled rally, we were met with hostility,” he said. “Kabanda and his bodyguard allegedly opened fire before any campaign activity could start .”
Muhumuza accused the incumbent of using state security apparatus to intimidate opponents and called on President Museveni, the commander in-chief of armed forces to swiftly intervene.
“What are guns doing in the campaigns?” he asked, adding: “If the government does not remove guns from the NRM campaigns, more people are going to die.”
Eyewitnesses told this publication that the violence started when a man believed to be Kabanda’s bodyguard allegedly fired on Muhumuza’s convoy, damaging the driver’s side of a Toyota Land Cruiser and vandalizing another campaign car.
In the chaos that ensued , supporters of both camps scattered, and several people fled the venue .
As Muhumuza’s team attempted to continue their campaign, they were reportedly ambushed by rival supporters. During the confrontation, a young man was shot and two cars (a Toyota Noah and Toyota Wish) and a motorcycle, all linked to Muhumuza’s campaign, were set ablaze .
According to residents , on Sunday night , an army-green truck was seen moving in the area , plastering Kabanda’s campaign posters on private homes- an act some locals described as “political intimidation.”
The NRM is preparing for internal July 17 primaries in the lead-up to the 2026 general elections, with tensions rising in various constituencies including the neigbouring Lwemiyiga County in Sembabule District