Storming politics from a family platform

Feb 25, 2011

THEY say birds of a feather flock together and over the world, families have produced politicians who have succeeded in electoral politics as husband and wife, and later, their children and several generations down the line.

THEY say birds of a feather flock together and over the world, families have produced politicians who have succeeded in electoral politics as husband and wife, and later, their children and several generations down the line. The US has the Kennedys, the Clintons, the Bushes and the Roosevelts, but we also have the Obotes, the Okellos, and the Musevenis. In the just-concluded general elections, some people from the same families contested for various posts, while others faced each other for the same post. Isaac Baligema looks at family members who contested in the elections

President Yoweri Museveni & First Lady Mrs Janet Museveni
President Yoweri Museveni was declared winner of the presidential elections on Sunday, with 68% of the total votes cast.
It was the third time he was beating his former personal doctor and IPC presidential candidate, Dr. Kizza Besigye.
The First Lady, also won the Ruhaama county constituency with a landslide victory of over 85%, beating FDC’s Augustine Ruzindana. This is her second term in office and her popularity in the constituency is unmatched.
Janet Museveni led in all the 176 polling stations in the seven sub-counties of Ruhaama, getting 57,318 votes out of the total 66,967 votes cast.
So as the President was busy traversing the country looking for votes, his wife was doing the same for him and for herself.

Francis Babu and Margaret Zziwa
Veteran politician Edward Francis Babu is in the race for Kampala mayor. The elections were set for Wednesday but were cancelled due to violence. His wife, Margaret Nantongo Zziwa, lost her bid for Kampala Woman MP.
Zziwa was the first one to experience the agony of losing on February 19 after the Electoral Commission official announced the sturdy incumbent and FDC member Nabilah Ssempala as the winner.
Zziwa was the NRM flag-bearer for the post.
Her husband, on the other hand, had wanted to stand for the Kampala Central MP seat but lost to Al Hajj Abdul Mohammed Nsereko in the primaries.
Lost and confused, he decided to run as an independent in the Kampala mayoral race. So while his wife is sad and blue, he awiats another election date when he will face Peter Ssematimba of the NRM, Erias Lukwago and Michael Mabikke, both from the IPC.

Isaac & Salaamu Musumba
The state Minister for regional affairs Hon. Isaac Musumba Isanga and his wife, FDC vice-president Salaamu Musumba both lost in the parliamentary elections last week. He was fighting to retain Bugaya, while she was trying to regain Bugabula South, which she lost in 2006. Salaamu lost to independent candidate Asumani Kiyingi

Zephania Kizza & Rosemary Sseninde
Last year, this political family made headlines over domestic problems when Kizza accused his wife of adultery and sent her away from their marital home.
We hear they separated but he later gave her new conditions which she agreed to and they got back together.
Rosemary Nansubuga Sseninde beat four opponents to retain her Wakiso Woman MP seat and her popularity seems to be growing even stronger.
Her husband, who has been the chairman of Nangabo in Wakiso district, wanted to stand for the Bamunanika County MP seat but he lost the primaries and pulled out of the race.

Henry Bagiire & Vincent Bagiire
This is another interesting set of politicians from Mayuge. They were both contesting for the Bunya West MP seat. They are neighbours in the village, both support NRM, went to the same schools but are very different in dialogue.
Henry, the state minister for agriculture, lost to Vincent in the NRM primaries but went ahead to stand as an independent.
However, Vincent won with 17, 744 votes, while Henry got 11,056 votes.
Though they are not related, they have a lot in common that some people think they are brothers.

Yokasi Bihande And Winfred Kiiza
This couple is jubilating. The February 18 polls saw Yokasi Bwambale Bihande (FDC) beat NRM’s Fred Police Businge for the Bukonzo East MP seat. His wife, Winfred Kizza, also of the FDC, beat NRM’s Rehema Muhindo for the Kasese Woman MP.
Kizza won by 92,108 votes against Muhindo’s 90, 624, while Yokasi’s 243 supporters ensured that he became their representative with 19, 511, while Businge got 19,268.

Ken Lukyamuzi & Susan Nampijja
John Ken Lukyamuzi was expelled from Parliament in 2005 for failure to adhere to the Leadership Code, he fronted his daughter for the Rubaga South seat.
Susan Nampijja won the election and proceeded to Parliament, while her father contested his dismissal from the August House. Last year, court declared that Lukyamuzi had been unfairly dismissed.
He chose to run for his former seat, while his daughter relocated to Makindye East. Unfortunately, she was beaten by NRM’s John Ssimbwa, while Lukyamuzi bounced back. Lukyamuzi, the president of the Conservative Party is an outspoken politicians who had been missed by many.
Now that he is back, it is not clear what his daughter’s next move will be.

Michael Mugisa And Margaret Muhanga
This Kabarole power couple are staunch NRM supporters. However, the recent elections threw them both in a lurch. Muhanga, who has been the Kabarole Woman MP, pulled out of the race just hours to the elections, in favour of the party flag-bearer, Victoria Businge.
Mugisa who has been the Kabarole district LC5 chairman, lost to independent candidate Richard Rwabuhinga in the Wednesday polls.
We do not know their next move but this couple will probably bounce back in 2016.



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