Kisoro, Uganda | Rose Kabagyeni has emerged victorious in the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party primaries for the Kisoro Woman Member of Parliament position. Kabagyeni, who currently serves as the Senior Presidential Advisor on Agriculture, secured her win with a total of 39,941 votes.
Her nearest competitor, Grace Ngabirano Akifeza, garnered 39,197 votes. Other candidates included Irene Mahirwe with 1,729 votes, Brenda Fancy Nirere with 1,593, Faith Winfred Igiraneza with 510, Jemimah Irankunda with 363, Blessed Kitentera with 248, and Hellen Mbonye, who received 111 votes.
The announcement was made by Tanga Odoi, the Chairperson of the NRM Party Electoral Commission.
During the vote counting process, both Akifeza and Kabagyeni raised allegations of significant irregularities. Akifeza accused the election process of fraud, claiming that the total votes exceeded the registered voters. In response, Kabagyeni alleged that Akifeza had transported Metropolitan University students to various polling stations to vote, despite their names not being on the register.
Odoi dismissed these allegations, stating that there was no substantial evidence to support the claims.
Akifeza rejected the election results, labeling the process a sham marred by vote rigging in favor of Kabagyeni. She also reported instances of harassment directed at her supporters and polling agents by Kabagyeni’s backers.
The by-election is scheduled for next month to fill the vacancy left by Sarah Mateke Nyirabashitsi, who passed away on September 7 following a heart attack.
Born on August 4, 1974, in Nyakabande Subcounty, Kisoro District, Kabagyeni completed her primary education at Gikoro Primary School in 1987. She obtained her Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) at Seseme Girls Secondary School in 1990. Kabagyeni earned her first certificate in agriculture in 1995 and later a diploma from Bukalasa Agricultural College in 2000.
In 2004, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in agriculture from Makerere University in Kampala and followed this with a second diploma in 2011 and a certificate in Monitoring and Evaluation from the Uganda Management Institute in 2013. Kabagyeni completed her Master’s degree in Agriculture at Makerere University in 2014.
Her career includes serving as the agricultural officer for Kisoro local government from 1997 to 2000 and later as the district agricultural officer from 2007 to 2010. She also worked as a consultant for National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) before resigning in 2016 to run for the Kisoro District Woman MP seat, where she defeated the incumbent, Sarah Nyirabashitsi.
However, in the 2021 elections, she contested for the same seat again but was defeated by Nyirabashitsi.
