Rwamirama, Mugyenyi fight for Isingiro
Feb 13, 2011
AS the polling date draws closer, the race for Isigiro North constituency gets harder. Supporters of the area Member of Parliament, Bright Rwamirama and his main opponent, Dr. Posiano Mugyenyi, are in a cut throat competition.
By Darious Magara
AS the polling date draws closer, the race for Isigiro North constituency gets harder. Supporters of the area Member of Parliament, Bright Rwamirama and his main opponent, Dr. Posiano Mugyenyi, are in a cut throat competition.
While some residents are excited after receiving cash, blankets, clothes and foodstuffs, a number of them have bore the brunt of the violence that has emerged.
The violence started during the NRM primaries and increased during the national campaigns as Rwamirama and Mugyenyi intensified their campaign.
At the NRM primaries, Rwamirama defeated Mugyenyi in a contest that was viewed as flawed by Mugyenyi and his supporters.
The two have also overshadowed the presence of Alex Mukuye of the Uganda Federal Alliance.
Early this month, a supporter of Rwamirama, Wilson Kareju, 39, was found dead near his home at Komugyenyi in Masha sub-county. The incident was blamed on politics.
Mugyenyi’s supporters accused Isingiro Police of sabotaging investigations.
Last week, Mugyenyi registered a complaint with the Inspector General of Police, Major General Kale Kayihura ,about the impounding of his double-cabin pick-up truck.
Rwamirama, the state minister for animal industry, said his opponent was peddling lies and sectarianism against him.
“I have worked for Catholics, Anglicans and Muslims. Mugyenyi should not turn Catholics against me,†he said.
Rwamirama is an Anglican, while Mungyenyi is a Catholic in the predominantly Catholic constituency.
Jaduresi Tumuhairwe, a resident, called for deployment of security operatives. She said even before the election period, the area had experienced cases of crime.
“We think the crime rate has increased with the elections but some people may want to settle personal scores. Some are acts of malice and they need to be fought,†she added
Aisha Karungi, a resident of Isingiro, said Rwamirama had performed well.
“We have three health centre IVs, we have progressed in agriculture and education and we constructed the district headquarters,†she said.
Karungi said the district leadership received support from Rwamirama to construct the district headquarters.
Insigirio, which is one of the recently created districts, has developed faster than the other districts in the region with which it gained district status, an aspect that Karungi attributed to the leadership of Rwamirama.
On the other hand Rwamirama’s opponents are blaming him for the untarmacked Mbarara – Kikagati road, and for the inadequate water and electricity supply.
The road raises a big challenge for Rwamirama because President Yoweri Museveni in the last elections had promised to have it upgraded and tarmacked. The unfulfilled presidential pledge has been an area of contention for both Rwamirama and Museveni’s re-election bid.
Rwamirama said the Mbarara- Kikagati road would be worked on soon because the President, who was recently in Isingiro, pleged to have it worked on.
But Mugyenyi said if elected, he would promote education, health, good roads, extension of clean water and electricity.
Rwamirama maintains that he wants to consolidate the NRM’s gains in the area.
“We have achieved much in the education sector. With Universal Secondary Education (USE) and Universal Primary Education (UPE) everybody in Insingiro has no reason not to study,†he said.
He added that NRM had achieved much under the National Agricultural Advisory Service (NAADS) and other economic programmes.
About 60,000 voters are expected to take part in the Friday poll to elect both the president of the nation and area MP.
AS the polling date draws closer, the race for Isigiro North constituency gets harder. Supporters of the area Member of Parliament, Bright Rwamirama and his main opponent, Dr. Posiano Mugyenyi, are in a cut throat competition.
While some residents are excited after receiving cash, blankets, clothes and foodstuffs, a number of them have bore the brunt of the violence that has emerged.
The violence started during the NRM primaries and increased during the national campaigns as Rwamirama and Mugyenyi intensified their campaign.
At the NRM primaries, Rwamirama defeated Mugyenyi in a contest that was viewed as flawed by Mugyenyi and his supporters.
The two have also overshadowed the presence of Alex Mukuye of the Uganda Federal Alliance.
Early this month, a supporter of Rwamirama, Wilson Kareju, 39, was found dead near his home at Komugyenyi in Masha sub-county. The incident was blamed on politics.
Mugyenyi’s supporters accused Isingiro Police of sabotaging investigations.
Last week, Mugyenyi registered a complaint with the Inspector General of Police, Major General Kale Kayihura ,about the impounding of his double-cabin pick-up truck.
Rwamirama, the state minister for animal industry, said his opponent was peddling lies and sectarianism against him.
“I have worked for Catholics, Anglicans and Muslims. Mugyenyi should not turn Catholics against me,†he said.
Rwamirama is an Anglican, while Mungyenyi is a Catholic in the predominantly Catholic constituency.
Jaduresi Tumuhairwe, a resident, called for deployment of security operatives. She said even before the election period, the area had experienced cases of crime.
“We think the crime rate has increased with the elections but some people may want to settle personal scores. Some are acts of malice and they need to be fought,†she added
Aisha Karungi, a resident of Isingiro, said Rwamirama had performed well.
“We have three health centre IVs, we have progressed in agriculture and education and we constructed the district headquarters,†she said.
Karungi said the district leadership received support from Rwamirama to construct the district headquarters.
Insigirio, which is one of the recently created districts, has developed faster than the other districts in the region with which it gained district status, an aspect that Karungi attributed to the leadership of Rwamirama.
On the other hand Rwamirama’s opponents are blaming him for the untarmacked Mbarara – Kikagati road, and for the inadequate water and electricity supply.
The road raises a big challenge for Rwamirama because President Yoweri Museveni in the last elections had promised to have it upgraded and tarmacked. The unfulfilled presidential pledge has been an area of contention for both Rwamirama and Museveni’s re-election bid.
Rwamirama said the Mbarara- Kikagati road would be worked on soon because the President, who was recently in Isingiro, pleged to have it worked on.
But Mugyenyi said if elected, he would promote education, health, good roads, extension of clean water and electricity.
Rwamirama maintains that he wants to consolidate the NRM’s gains in the area.
“We have achieved much in the education sector. With Universal Secondary Education (USE) and Universal Primary Education (UPE) everybody in Insingiro has no reason not to study,†he said.
He added that NRM had achieved much under the National Agricultural Advisory Service (NAADS) and other economic programmes.
About 60,000 voters are expected to take part in the Friday poll to elect both the president of the nation and area MP.