Rukungiri aspirants clash over Ngabirano

Apr 08, 2002

TWO Rukungiri LC5 candidates recently clashed at their 8th candidates meeting over Lt Ngabirano’s death.

By Ben Mugisha TWO Rukungiri LC5 candidates recently clashed at their 8th candidates meeting over Lt Ngabirano’s death.The meeting was at Bwambara sub-county headquarters.Lt. Ngabirano had been nominated to contest with Anthanasius Rutaroh, but he was gunned down by unknown assailants in Kampala.Ambassador Gabriel Kangwagye, who spoke first appealed to the electorate to vote for him since he had the backing of the Government and political, administrative and civic leaders from the district.“I have the support of the President, ministers, MPs, the RDC and other top people in the Government who hail from here. therefore, the district will not be cut off from the centre,” he said amid applause from the audience.Kangwagye said, “Rukungiri people had endorsed the late Ngabirano to contest with re-known reformist who had divided our people on religious and tribal lines like Anthanasius Rutaroh. However, he was unfortunately gunned down and that’s when I decided to join the race.”He added, “If I am elected, my priority will be to consolidate the people of Rukungiri who are sharply divided.” He also promised to revise the tax assessment and improve it. “The poor and helpless people with hardly any income will not pay tax exceeding sh3,000 as per president Museveni’s promise,” he said.However, Rutaroh shot up in anger, and said, “we are here to solicit votes, but what has annoyed me most, is politicising the death of Lt. Ngabirano.”He added, “The death of Lt Ngabirano pained me most because he was my friend and challenger.”however, the audience booed Rutaroh. but the Anti-riot police cooled them down.On graduated tax, Rutaroh promised to scrap it off. “If elected, I will scrap off the graduated tax and all along I have been agitating for it,” “I supported Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye in the presidential polls. but when he lost, I went back to Museveni my old friend whom we studied with at Ntare School and were in UPM together in the year 1980 ,” he said.

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