NRM, FDC wrestling to take Budadiri East seat

Feb 11, 2011

THE NRM race to field a flag-bearer for Budadiri East in Sironko district provided bouts of free comedy.

By Daniel Edyegu

THE NRM race to field a flag-bearer for Budadiri East in Sironko district provided bouts of free comedy.

Cosima Busiima (NRM), the incumbent MP, was first declared the winner of the August party primaries.

About two weeks later, the NRM district electoral commission declared Rogers Wadada victor. This decision was later overturned by the party national electoral probe team, over irregularities.

Dissatisfied with the decision, Wadada petitioned the party electoral commission in Kampala, to clarify on how Busiima was declared winner in the primaries.

Wadada was finally declared winner.

Busiima contemplated running as an independent candidate but President Yoweri Museveni intervened.

“It was theatrical. They would declare me winner and I would storm the streets to celebrate with my supporters, then my opponent would be declared winner the next day and they do the same. It got to a point where party members became uncertain of who the NRM flag-bearer was,” Wadada recalls.

“The drama split the party supporters. Until now, I have been trying to reconcile my supporters and those of Busiima, so we can form a strong front and win the elections,” Wadada adds.

However, the scars left in either camp after the primaries cannot be underestimated. As such, a sizable number of Busiima’s supporters are still undecided on whether or not to rally behind Wadada. It is these undecided NRM supporters who rival candidates are capitalizing on.

The candidates include David Woniala (DP), James Buliba (Independent), Mike Kasoola (UPC), Isaiah Ssasaga (FDC) and Robert Muzenze (Independent). Kasoola, the UPC Sironko district chairman, contested for Bulambuli parliamentary seat in the 2006 elections and lost. “Last time I came last because I was new in the political field,” Kasoola says.

Even then, close scrutiny of the constituency indicates that the real contest is greatest between NRM’s Wadada and FDC’s Ssasaga.

Ssasaga contested for the seat in the 2006 elections and lost to Busiima by a slim margin. The results were disputed, with the losing candidates claiming there was rigging, especially in the remote mountaineous sub-counties neighbouring Mt. Elgon National Park.

“This time we have trained all our agents on how to protect the votes,” Ssasaga says.

He is the director of Mbale and Sironko Parents secondary schools and Sironko Parents Primary School. He is sponsoring 72 needy students at both O’ and A’ level.



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