Uganda’s ruling party is fractious and disorganised

DICKSONS KATESHUMBWANRM), is shaking up politics in Sheema, a district in western Uganda. In his bid for parliament he has repaired boreholes, doled out maize flour and flaunted the wealth he made as a customs official. Fans speed ahead of him on motorbikes, garlanded with leaves; in villages, crowds cheer his name. He says that people have been left poor by “bad leadership”, a reference to the cabinet minister who holds the seat.But Mr Kateshumbwa is no opposition firebrand. He and his rival are both in the National Resistance Movement ( the ruling party. On September 4th it held primaries to select parliamentary candidates for next year’s general election. Mr Kateshumbwa won, as did many other upstarts: voters kicked out about 120 incumbents, including 15 ministers. For Yoweri Museveni, president since 1986, that is not quite the setback it seems. Regular, disorderly voting is central to his rule. He commands a party in which there is tumultuous competition for every position except his own.