
BY RICHARD DRASIMAKU
ARUA: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2025
Tanga!, tanga!, Tanga!…, the ululation rang out as the youths reacted to the announcement of Collins Tanga as the winner of the National Youth Chairperson in Arua City.
It was the notable moment bringing to an end the delegates elections for the Youth and Entrepreneurs League.
It following the cancelations of the votes at the National delegates Conference at the Kololo Independence Ceremonial Grounds in Kampala by the ruling party’s tribunal after allegations of vote malpractice.
Collins Tanga is the son of the NRM electoral commission chairman, Tanga Odoi and his competitors had alleged favoritism and impropriety in the conduct of the elections and asked for a rerun.

The process was consequently decentralized to the various districts to eliminate the possibility of chaos repeating itself and to nip suspicions in the bud.
Eight of the ten contestants for the position of the youth league chairman did not have representatives or agents, leaving their lines empty.
Tanga got 14 votes as his closest challenger Brenda Kiconco took five while six of the eligible delegates’ members declined to vote.
While commenting on the elections, Vincent Anguzu, a youth delegate in Arua City hailed the polls for the orderliness and how peaceful the youths were.

“The exercise reflects the voice and aspiration of the youths because no one was coerced to line up for any candidate,” he said.
It is the second time NRM internal polls that usually are held at the delegates conference has been decentralized to the districts since the introduction of multiparty political dispensation in Uganda in 2005.
The first time such elections were held at the districts was in 2020 when the country was under a lockdown regime due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I want to thank the youths for actively participating in these elections and I congratulate the winners for the various positions,” Joyce Amaguru, the Arua City NRM Vice Chairperson said.
Meanwhile Lawrence Emvi, the Arua City Administrative Officer of the NRM urged the delegates to get back to work to begin mobilization for the Party Flag bearers including the expected presidential Candidate, Yoweri Museveni.