Diana Ampaire Kampe
The long-held belief that securing the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag guarantees victory in youth parliamentary elections was sharply challenged on Friday, after Diana Ampaire lost the National Female Youth MP race in Hoima City.
Ampaire, the NRM flag bearer, was defeated by Mercy Kanyesigye, who is reportedly aligned to the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), in an outcome that has stirred debate within youth political circles. The loss echoed the 2016 National Female Youth MP elections, also held in Hoima, when NRM candidate Ann Lumumba was rejected by delegates in favour of Ann Adeke Ebaju, then leaning towards the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).
Political observers and insiders point to a mix of strategic, financial and personal factors behind Ampaire’s defeat, with arrogance and complacency cited as the decisive issues.
Sources close to the process say that once Ampaire secured the NRM flag, her camp operated under the assumption that the race was effectively over — a mindset that proved costly. “There was a feeling that victory was guaranteed simply because of the NRM ticket,” said one delegate who attended the polls. “That attitude alienated many people.”
In contrast, the PLU-leaning camp backing Kanyesigye reportedly invested significant time, money and energy in engaging delegates up to the final hours of the campaign. Several delegates acknowledged that the intensity and organisation of Kanyesigye’s team stood out in the final stretch.
The presence of a third candidate also influenced the outcome. Analysts believe some votes that might have gone to either of the two frontrunners were split, though it remains debatable whether this alone would have handed Ampaire victory.
Financial expectations among delegates further complicated Ampaire’s campaign. In the build-up to the polls, some delegates reportedly received facilitation of up to Shs1 million during earlier mobilisation meetings. However, on polling day, facilitation allegedly ranged between Shs200,000 and Shs300,000, a sharp drop that left many delegates disgruntled.
“Delegates felt they were being taken for a ride,” a source familiar with the campaigns said. “They compared what they had previously received with what came on voting day and concluded that something was wrong.”
Another critical factor, according to multiple sources, was Ampaire’s strained relationship with key political strategists. Several individuals who reportedly sought to meet her on the eve of the election were turned away. These same operatives are said to have shifted their support elsewhere, weakening her final push.
The reduced size of the electoral college also played a role. While previous elections attracted over 1,000 delegates from across the country, Friday’s vote involved just 440 delegates, making each bloc of votes more decisive and amplifying the impact of late-stage mobilisation.
In the end, Mercy Kanyesigye emerged victorious, dealing another blow to the perception that the NRM flag alone is sufficient to secure youth political offices. As with 2016, the Hoima polls have once again underscored a recurring lesson in youth politics: delegates reward engagement and humility, not entitlement.
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