Choice Of Chairman Divides Bushenyi MPs

MEMBERS of Parliament (MPs) from Bushenyi district are divided over the choice of the district chairman after their plan to field an unopposed candidate flopped, writes Raynel Kanyambu. Two candidates, Mr. Samson Nyine-Bitahwa and Longino Ndyanabo, have been nominated to contest for the district top job. A reliable source said at the weekend that the MPs met on Thursday in Kampala to discuss the matter. Four MPs, including Col. Kahinda Otafiire (Ruhinda), who chaired the meeting, and Dr. Richard Nduhuura (Igara East), reportedly wanted Ndyanabo to be unopposed. But other MPs like Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu (Sheema South) and Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye (Sheema North) said the two should compete for the post. The meeting follows an earlier one by opinion leaders from the district who endorsed Ndyanabo as a sole candidate. The former district boss, Mr. Yowasi Makaru, declined to stand after about 13 years in office. The opinion reportedly said Ndyanabo, a Catholic, should replace Makaru, an Anglican. “The sole aim of convincing Tibasiimwa to leave the race for Ndyanabo was to strike a religious balance on the top district seat. The coming in of Bitahwa might spark off religious divisions,” Nduhuura said. Ends