I'm under pressure to stand again—Kajura

By Umaru Kashaka     

The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Service, Henry Kajura, has said his electorate in Hoima Municipality are pressurising him to seek re-election in 2016.

Kajura, who is one of the longest-serving legislators, told New Vision in a brief interview at Parliament that he thought he would leave the political scene in 2016.

“This is my last term, but they (voters) say they want me to continue. People say I have sat on people, but now it’s their turn,” Kajura, whose long career as a public servant goes back to 1966 when he worked as the deputy general manager in Bank of Uganda, said.

He, however, noted that it’s difficult to say now whether he will seek re-election or not. “We live with people. This means you have got to listen to them. You cannot suppress them when they are interested in your services,” he stated.

Asked why people always vote for him, Kajura, who has continuously been a member of Cabinet since 1989, said: “I’m accessible and try to find solutions for my people’s problems.”

He opines that leaders should be willing to meet their people and where possible help them.

Kajura, who lost Bugahya parliamentary seat to James Rwebembera in 2006, returned to elective politics in 2011 to contest for the then newly created Hoima municipality constituency, which he won.

Hoima town and the areas that make Hoima municipality were under Bugahya constituency until 2010, when the town was elevated to a municipality.

Kajura, therefore, became the first MP for Hoima municipality by defeating his main challenger, Patrick Mweigwa and other candidates, with a resounding victory in 2011.

His political assistant, Shaban Kwebiiha, recently told Sunday Vision that people think that without Kajura, they would not get anything from the Government. “People think it’s only Kajura who can protect their interests,” he said.

If Kajura chooses not to stand again, observers say chances are high that he will front someone to contest for the seat as he has done in some cases in the past.

The race for this seat has attracted a number of aspirants, including Hamu Mugeny and Mwesigwa.

Hamza Kitakule, a political and social commentator in Hoima, says some of the key campaign issues for the forthcoming elections in the region will be oil and the Kigumba-Kabwoya-Kyenjojo road that the Government has for several years been promising to build.

He says any candidate who can articulate the people’s issues well is likely to win the seat, regardless of their party affiliations.