Minister Kiyonga faces nephew in NRM primaries

By John B. Nzinjah

Defense minister Dr. Crispus Kiyonga, the Bukonzo West MP has for the first time got a rival within NRM. His rival is his nephew Justas Capson Sausi, aged 40.  

Sausi who has worked with a number of NGOs, the latest “Safer World” as its project manager said it was high the NRM party groomed the young blood into leadership.

“I want to be part of a new group of the NRM party members to prepare the country into the next generation to come”, Sausi said.

Sausi has pledged to recruit more youth into the party especially in Bukonzo west constituency which he is vying for to strengthen what Dr. Kiyonga has so far done.

“ I also want to introduce the idea of holding workshops for the youth which have been rare in the constituency and to also use sports for employment beyond entertainment”, Sausi pledged.

Asked whether by contesting with his uncle would not affect their relationship, Sausi said, “It’s not a contest between nephew and uncle, it’s about effective representation of the people in Bukonzo west constituency.”

Dr. Kiyonga was not readily available to comment about the development that he now has a rival within the party.

But his political assistant Festo Baluku said: “That man [Sausi] is a just a joker because Dr. Kiyonga is still very popular and very instrumental in the politics and development in Bukonzo west constituency and the district at large. The people in Kasese cannot just lose the service of Dr. Kiyonga.”

Dr. Kiyonga joined politics in 1980 when he became the only UPM parliamentarian before he went into exile to join the NRA/NRM bush war against dictatorship.

Since the NRM took power in 1986, Dr. Kiyonga the current minister for Defence, has served the country as minister in several ministries and he has been key in the politics of Kasese district and the country at large and has been a legislator since then.

Sulait Bwambale a resident in Mpondwe/Lhubiriha town council describes Dr. Kiyonga as the ‘vanguard’ of development in Kasese.