FDC, NRM battle for Hoima mayorship
Mar 01, 2011
FORUM for Democratic Change (FDC) and the ruling NRM parties are the major contenders for Hoima and Masindi municipal mayoral seats.
By PASCAL KWESIGA
and ROBERT ATUHAIRWE
FORUM for Democratic Change (FDC) and the ruling NRM parties are the major contenders for Hoima and Masindi municipal mayoral seats.
The NRM is struggling to regain the Hoima mayoral seat from FDC’s Francis Atugonza, who is the national secretary for trade and industry in the FDC. Mary Mugasa is the NRM flag-bearer, while David Maxwell Kaboyo, who is the NRM boss in Hoima municipality, is running as an independent.
During a three-hour question and answer session at Call in Pub in Hoima town on Friday, the three faced a barrage of questions from voters.
Some of the challenges the voters wanted addressed were low education standards, rural electrification, job creation, lack of safe water and unplanned construction and road networks in Hoima municipality.
Mugasa is one of the three councillors who resigned their positions on the executive of Atugonza in 2010, saying the NRM party barred them from serving the interests of the opposition.
However, Atugonza has helped to set up a strong team of FDC supporters who have been campaigning and recruiting members. He has also been instrumental in setting up FDC structures at the grassroots in the entire Bunyoro region.
Atugonza, who has recently been in the news after claiming that an official from state house had offered him sh1.5b to defect to NRM, enjoys support from both FDC and NRM.
However, Mugasa is convinced that Atugonza has lost popularity among the electorate and will be trounced in the mayoral race.
“Anyone who thinks Atugonza is still popular is not on the ground. He has lost popularity because of his not performing and the confusion he has created. I am going to defeat him and Kaboyo very easily,†she said.
Kaboyo was the LC3 chairperson for Hoima town council for three consecutive terms until 2006 when he contested for the district LC5 seat and lost to the incumbent George Bagonza Tinkamanyire. This worked in favour of Francis Atugonza who trounced three contenders to become the LC3 chairman for Hoima town council.
He said Atugonza won the elections because the electorate had not yet understood multiparty politics.
Kaboyo is backed by some NRM strategists who believe that Mugasa, despite being the party flag-bearer, lacks the potential to defeat the FDC strong man. But this has only divided NRM supporters and is likely to work in favour of the incumbent Atugonza.
In Masindi, Joshua Amanyire, who is the NRM flag-bearer, will lock horns with the youthful Joab Businge of FDC and Apollo Nyabongo, an independent.
Amanyire said he was confident that he would win the elections because of his achievements such as installing street lights, setting up a modern library, purchase of 16 acres of land and tamarcking of streets in Masindi town.
He also boasts of having renovated all council buildings and secured land titles for the council land.
Amanyire joined politics in 2006 when he was elected chairman of Masindi town council on an independent ticket.
His opponents have focused their campaign on protecting people’s land from potential grabbers and acquiring them land titles. Bunyoro is currently engulfed in land disputes.
Businge is asking voters to support him, arguing that any government needs some opposition to challenge its policies and programmes. He has promised to engage the Government to set up more schools in Masindi.
and ROBERT ATUHAIRWE
FORUM for Democratic Change (FDC) and the ruling NRM parties are the major contenders for Hoima and Masindi municipal mayoral seats.
The NRM is struggling to regain the Hoima mayoral seat from FDC’s Francis Atugonza, who is the national secretary for trade and industry in the FDC. Mary Mugasa is the NRM flag-bearer, while David Maxwell Kaboyo, who is the NRM boss in Hoima municipality, is running as an independent.
During a three-hour question and answer session at Call in Pub in Hoima town on Friday, the three faced a barrage of questions from voters.
Some of the challenges the voters wanted addressed were low education standards, rural electrification, job creation, lack of safe water and unplanned construction and road networks in Hoima municipality.
Mugasa is one of the three councillors who resigned their positions on the executive of Atugonza in 2010, saying the NRM party barred them from serving the interests of the opposition.
However, Atugonza has helped to set up a strong team of FDC supporters who have been campaigning and recruiting members. He has also been instrumental in setting up FDC structures at the grassroots in the entire Bunyoro region.
Atugonza, who has recently been in the news after claiming that an official from state house had offered him sh1.5b to defect to NRM, enjoys support from both FDC and NRM.
However, Mugasa is convinced that Atugonza has lost popularity among the electorate and will be trounced in the mayoral race.
“Anyone who thinks Atugonza is still popular is not on the ground. He has lost popularity because of his not performing and the confusion he has created. I am going to defeat him and Kaboyo very easily,†she said.
Kaboyo was the LC3 chairperson for Hoima town council for three consecutive terms until 2006 when he contested for the district LC5 seat and lost to the incumbent George Bagonza Tinkamanyire. This worked in favour of Francis Atugonza who trounced three contenders to become the LC3 chairman for Hoima town council.
He said Atugonza won the elections because the electorate had not yet understood multiparty politics.
Kaboyo is backed by some NRM strategists who believe that Mugasa, despite being the party flag-bearer, lacks the potential to defeat the FDC strong man. But this has only divided NRM supporters and is likely to work in favour of the incumbent Atugonza.
In Masindi, Joshua Amanyire, who is the NRM flag-bearer, will lock horns with the youthful Joab Businge of FDC and Apollo Nyabongo, an independent.
Amanyire said he was confident that he would win the elections because of his achievements such as installing street lights, setting up a modern library, purchase of 16 acres of land and tamarcking of streets in Masindi town.
He also boasts of having renovated all council buildings and secured land titles for the council land.
Amanyire joined politics in 2006 when he was elected chairman of Masindi town council on an independent ticket.
His opponents have focused their campaign on protecting people’s land from potential grabbers and acquiring them land titles. Bunyoro is currently engulfed in land disputes.
Businge is asking voters to support him, arguing that any government needs some opposition to challenge its policies and programmes. He has promised to engage the Government to set up more schools in Masindi.