Kampala – The political terrain of Western Uganda has been dramatically redrawn following the emphatic triumph of Eng. Jonard Asiimwe, who has been proclaimed the NRM Vice Chairperson for Western Region after a spirited and highly consequential contest. Asiimwe amassed a formidable 4,044 votes (58.9%), dwarfing the 2,303 votes (33.6%) polled by Hon. Chris Baryomunsi, the State Minister for ICT, according to the official tally released by Dr. Tanga Odoi, Chairperson of the NRM Electoral Commission, on Wednesday.
The contest, which attracted 6,861 delegates across eight contenders, was more than a numerical exercise—it was a referendum on shifting influence within the Western NRM bloc. For many within the Movement, it signaled a seismic recalibration of political authority, as a figure once considered untouchable, Dr. Baryomunsi, confronted an unmistakable erosion of his regional dominance.
Long regarded as a formidable strategist and successor to the once all-powerful Amama Mbabazi in Kigezi, Dr. Baryomunsi emerged from the poll battered and politically diminished. While he decried the exercise as “neither free nor fair,” alleging bribery and malpractice without presenting proof, analysts contend that the defeat was less about process and more about momentum, message, and mobilization.
Eng. Asiimwe’s victory, in contrast, bore the hallmarks of grassroots mastery. His campaign was visible, unrelenting, and deliberately people-centered. Billboards sprouted in nearly every district of the Western Region, while local mobilizers backed by youthful energy and the influential networks of Minister Balaam Barugahara amplified his message of renewal and regional empowerment. This fusion of visibility, strategy, and authentic ground connection proved decisive.
In the wake of the announcement, Minister Balaam Barugahara hailed Asiimwe’s ascendancy with exuberance, declaring it “a historic demonstration of the people’s will.” His jubilant celebration of the outcome underscored the prevailing sentiment within the Movement that Asiimwe’s win was not simply electoral arithmetic, but a landslide verdict delivered flat and square by the delegates themselves.
For the NRM, Asiimwe’s triumph breathes new vigor into the Western Region, while for Dr. Baryomunsi, it marks a sobering retreat from the commanding role he once played at the heart of party dynamics. The tectonic shift within the Western bloc is unmistakable: a new custodian of influence has emerged, and with him, a fresh political chapter has begun.
