DP strongmen and women pounded out of MP seats

By John Odyek

A number Democratic Party (DP) strong men and women have been tussled out of the Parliamentary race for seats in the 2016 elections.

As the list of causalities trickle in, Richard Sebuliba Mutumba (Kawempe South), who has been MP from 2001 and opposition shadow minister for works and infrastructure development from 2011, has been knocked out.

Mutumba, an active member of the Public Accounts Committee of the 9^th Parliament was knocked by FDC's Munyagwa Mubarak who was the Kawempe mayor.

Mubarak was an opposition activist and a controversial mayor who was accused for not attending council meetings, but delegating his duties. He said the meetings 'lost substance' after KCCA watered down the roles of divisional mayors.

Mathias Nsubuga, another DP stalwart has lost the Bukoto South seat to Muyanja Mbabali of the NRM . Nsubuga was MP since 2012. He was a political assistant for the Kampala Mayor between 1998 and 2005.

Mbabali was in 2011 nominated for state minister for investments, but was rejected by the Parliamentary vetting committee after it was discovered that his academic documents were irregular.

Mbabaali was also unseated as Member of Parliament for Bukoto South for not possessing the required academic qualifications for the position.

Dr Micheal Lulume Bayiga has been hit hard by Mutebi David of NRM. Bayiga, a medical doctor, has been MP since 2008. He rose through the DP ranks starting out from university as a member of the DP youth group, the Uganda Young Democrats. He was an opposition shadow minister for health in 2011.

A cross section of DP supporters in Buikwe district announced recently that they had abandoned Bayiga in favour of NRM's burly and broad shouldered Mutebi saying for eight years Bayiga had been promising them air.

Moses Kasibante, an independent, but DP leaning MP for Rubaga North and a close friend and ally of Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has got a pounding from Beti Kamya who is president of the Uganda Federal Alliance.

The seat was previously held by Kamya who was in FDC before forming UFA and running for president in 2011 where she finished in fifth position.

Brenda Nabukenya the Luwero Woman MP has been silently strangled out of her enviable seat by Lillian Segujja Nakatte of NRM. Nabukenya had promised to serve for only two terms, but has managed only one.

Nabukenya, a political enigma, was the first female guild president of Kyambogo University in 2005. She profile looked-liked she was cut out for politics.

Court nullified the election of Nabukenya in 2012, but in the heated by-election she beat NRM's Rebecca Nalwanga in a closely contested race.

In Parliament she was member of the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, and Committee on Government Assurances, but she was rather silent.

She lists her profession as a nutritionist/dietician.