Two-horse race for rescheduled Ibanda Municipality MP seat polls

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It is shaping up as a two-horse race in the rescheduled parliamentary elections for Ibanda Municipality, with political observers saying the contest could go either way between the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer Peter Agaba and independent candidate Innocent Mwine Bakamuhara.

The other contenders are Rashid Muganda Kirangwa and Sarapio Betungura, both independents and political newcomers on the Ibanda scene.

Attention is now focused on whether Agaba, who is contesting for the seat for the third time, will withstand a stiff challenge from Bakamuhara in the Tuesday (January 27) polls.

Bakamuhara placed second in the NRM party primaries but claims he was rigged out of the process.

The elections were postponed to January 27 after the Electoral Commission printed an incorrect symbol for candidate Kirangwa.

According to Clifton Manyiromujuni, a political analyst based in Ibanda town, all four candidates are pledging to improve service delivery to what he described as the ‘nearly orphaned’ residents of the municipality, although Agaba and Bakamuhara remain the clear favourites.

Rashid Muganda Kirangwa

Manyiromujuni said Bakamuhara, who refers to himself as the ‘acting MP’ for the municipality due to what he calls ineffective representation by incumbent Tarsis Rwaburindore, is largely credited for supporting the education and water sectors, as well as resisting attempts to encroach on the Ibanda Forest Reserve, which is government-owned.

“He has lobbied well-wishers to build a three-classroom block at Rugazi Primary School in Kagongo ward and also repaired or built more than a dozen boreholes across the municipality, easing access to clean water for residents in water-stressed areas,” Manyiromujuni said.

However, the analyst noted that Agaba, who has provided an ambulance to support health services in the municipality, is often viewed as laid-back. Nonetheless, as the NRM flag bearer, he cannot be underestimated, particularly in a largely rural municipality, Manyiromujuni added.

Mayoral race

Meanwhile, the mayoral contest in Ibanda Municipality appears largely tilted in favour of NRM flag bearer Johnson Kanyomozi. His main challenger is former mayor of the then Ibanda town council, Deusdedit Murinde. Anselm Arinaitwe Ndikora of the PFF is the third contender but is widely regarded as a social media candidate.

Kanyomozi, the sitting Bisheshe Division chairperson, is credited with efforts to combat thuggery, land grabbing and domestic violence, and is widely viewed as a people-centred leader.