Nambooze fires up vote hunt after Mao’s rallies

Feb 04, 2011

TWO weeks ago when Democratic Party presidential candidate Norbert Mao went to campaign in Mukono, the district’s party chairperson, Betty Nambooze, did not attend. Instead she mobilised Mukono residents for a separate rally at a different location at the same time.

By JOHN SEMAKULA

TWO weeks ago when Democratic Party presidential candidate Norbert Mao went to campaign in Mukono, the district’s party chairperson, Betty Nambooze, did not attend. Instead she mobilised Mukono residents for a separate rally at a different location at the same time.

If Nambooze intended to alienate Mao, it must have backfired. Mao’s rally in Mukono town was about six times bigger than Nambooze’s at Bukerere, an indication that the Mukono North legislator could have over-estimated her influence in the area.
During his campaigns in Mukono, Mao introduced the district’s DP flag-bearers except Nambooze, who never turned up for his rallies.
Mao did not take Nambooze’s absence lightly and he lashed out. He said although he had lectured Nambooze on the need to respect the DP leadership, she seemed to have turned a deaf ear. Mao threatened to take disciplinary action against members, like Nambooze, who behave like they are more powerful than the party.
Only weeks earlier, Nambooze had mobilised a crowd for FDC candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye in Mukono, and many thought that would dent Mao’s chances. But the support which Mao received in Mukono dispelled the thought that Nambooze is a king-maker and that without her DP was dead in the district.
Since Mao’s campaigns two weeks ago, Nambooze has intensified her campaigns to counter the blow she suffered in her attempt to mobilise supporters against him.

The impact of Mao’s campaigns in Mukono has pushed Nambooze to change her strategy. Previously her posters were scarcely pinned in her constituency. But today, she has placed posters across the constituency.

She has also hired vans, which sing her praises daily from sunrise to sunset. Nambooze is also using prominent pro-Mengo politicians at her rallies who tell her supporters that Buganda cannot do without her in Parliament.

Nambooze is contesting for the Mukono Municipality parliamentary seat against Pastor Matthew Talemwa of the Peoples’ Progressive Party and Beatrice Iga of the NRM.

Iga is Nambooze’s greatest challenger in the race. However, her undoing may be that the NRM camp in the district is divided.

But Nambooze is also not safe because some staunch DP supporters in Mukono want to punish her for supporting Besigye instead of Mao. Others want to punish her for supporting Muyanja Senyonga, an NRM-leaning independent candidate for Mukono municipality mayorship, against Fefeka Sserubodo of DP.

Nambooze appears to have realised that things are not good and she is urging her supporters to vote her for the last time as the MP because come 2016 she will be eyeing a ‘higher office’.

FACTS ABOUT MUKONO NORTH
  • Betty Nambooze is representing Mukono North in the Eighth Parliament, but is contesting for the Mukono Municipality seat


  • Nambooze got 16,142 votes, defeating the Rev.Bakaluba Mukasa, who got 14,302 in the 2010 by- elections.


  • Mukono North constituency has 149 polling stations, in three sub-counties.

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