Turinawe uses Besigye trump card, Tumukunde says won't abandon cause

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The Rukungiri Municipality parliamentary four-horse race is poised to be one of the hottest contests in the 2026 General Election.

The fiercely contested race is pitting Peoples' Front for Freedom flag-bearer Ingrid Turinawe Kamateneti against National Resistance Movement (NRM) party's Gen. Henry Tumukunde, alongside independents Dr Wallen Tumwine and Richard Akanyijuka. Tumwine lost the PFF flag to Turinawe.

Seasoned activist Turinawe, the only female candidate, has positioned herself as a disruptor, claiming her tangible achievements and grassroots initiatives are unsettling her male rivals.

Turinawe, campaigning in Ndorero and Kanyinya on November 23, 2025, highlighted her record: Securing ambulances for low-cost patient transport, half-sponsorship for university students, and forming TIK SACCOs in all 53 villages. 

“My opponents are sleepless because they know my work is real,” she said, vowing to eliminate ambulance fees if elected.

“Patients will never pay again for emergency transport—they’ll only pay fuel costs,” she said.

She also framed her campaign as a people-centred alternative to “parliamentarians who prioritise their own interests.” To ensure accountability, Turinawe proposed placing suggestion boxes in every village, promising weekly reviews of community needs.

"I will put suggestion boxes in every village, where people will put their needs, and I will make sure every week there is someone to open the box and give me what people wrote about for consideration," she noted.

The Besigye factor

Turinawe’s rhetoric took a sharp turn when addressing four-time presidential candidate Dr Kiiza Besigye, also PFF founder question. The Opposition leader has been in detention for over one year over treason-related charges. She accused NRM of orchestrating Besigye’s incarceration, claimed the ruling party plans to “stress him to death” by securing votes in his stronghold, Rwakabengo A, where Gen. Tumukunde is contesting.

“Winning this seat will reassure Besigye that his people still stand with him,” Turinawe said, framing the race as a referendum on his release.

Tumukunde’s reassurance

Tumukunde, a veteran of Uganda’s bush war era, countered that he is a “bridge” between Rukungiri’s people and the Government. 

“I fought alongside Besigye; I won’t abandon his cause,” he said, pledging to advocate for his release.

Tumukunde framed his campaign around legacy: “I’m nearing retirement, but I’ll ensure Rukungiri has electricity, water, quality schools, and a public university within five years.” 

He dismissed younger rivals like Turinawe, urging them to “wait for their turn” after his vision is realised.

Tumukunde has fronted experience, stability and service delivery and has appealed to voters who believe that Rukungiri deserves stronger representation from within the ruling establishment.