Why Syda Bumba has sleepless nights
WHEN daring David Ntege last year made a sectarian remark to President Museveni at a rally in Nakaseke that, “Disitulikiti yaffe wagiwa balaalo†(you gave away our district to herdsmen), he earned nine months’ imprisonment.
Frederick Kiwanuka
WHEN daring David Ntege last year made a sectarian remark to President Museveni at a rally in Nakaseke that, “Disitulikiti yaffe wagiwa balaalo†(you gave away our district to herdsmen), he earned nine months’ imprisonment.
However, Ntege’s feelings are shared by many in the new Nakaseke district, who prefer to have the district headquarters at Nakaseke town instead of Butalangu, a place favoured by the Government.
The controversy over where the district headquarters should be located has become a big political issue that will affect voting patterns in Nakaseke.
President Museveni was wise not to declare his position on the matter publicly as he completed a tour of the district recently. Instead he invited local opinion leaders to discuss the issue with him at a later time.
However, LC5 chairman Sempala Kigozi and Member of Parliament, Hajjati Syda Bumba, have to face the music. Kigozi was disqualified from the race due to forged academic papers. But even if he had remained, opinion polls in Nakaseke were already favouring his independent rival Ignatius Koomu. Bumba and Kigozi favour Butalangu as the seat of the district. Thus Bumba is facing an uphill task in winning back the hearts of her constituents in the southern part of Nakaseke who accuse her of “betrayalâ€.
Bumba, who sailed through unopposed as the NRM flag bearer in the parliamentary race, is tussling it out with three contestants who include DP’s Joe Senteza and two independents, Paul Luttamaguzi and Sempala Mbuga. While the cattle-keeping tribes in the northern part of Nakaseke are happy with Bumba over her uncompromising stand on Butalangu, because of its central location, the Baganda population in the southern part, who preferred Nakaseke town, are crying foul and are vowing to deny her votes.
Bumba, the strongest candidates, is putting on a fine face to the situation. She says in her manifesto that she will “appease†the disgruntled parties by ensuring that Nakaseke is granted a Town Council status in compensation for loosing the district headquarters. But the promise has so far failed to win the hearts of the aggrieved voters especially those in Nakaseke and Kapeeka sub-counties. Yet, the southern part has three times more voters than the north which has more cows than people. These votes may go to Bumba’s arch-rival, Mbuga, unless she becomes more creative.
The writer is a journalist
WHEN daring David Ntege last year made a sectarian remark to President Museveni at a rally in Nakaseke that, “Disitulikiti yaffe wagiwa balaalo†(you gave away our district to herdsmen), he earned nine months’ imprisonment.
However, Ntege’s feelings are shared by many in the new Nakaseke district, who prefer to have the district headquarters at Nakaseke town instead of Butalangu, a place favoured by the Government.
The controversy over where the district headquarters should be located has become a big political issue that will affect voting patterns in Nakaseke.
President Museveni was wise not to declare his position on the matter publicly as he completed a tour of the district recently. Instead he invited local opinion leaders to discuss the issue with him at a later time.
However, LC5 chairman Sempala Kigozi and Member of Parliament, Hajjati Syda Bumba, have to face the music. Kigozi was disqualified from the race due to forged academic papers. But even if he had remained, opinion polls in Nakaseke were already favouring his independent rival Ignatius Koomu. Bumba and Kigozi favour Butalangu as the seat of the district. Thus Bumba is facing an uphill task in winning back the hearts of her constituents in the southern part of Nakaseke who accuse her of “betrayalâ€.
Bumba, who sailed through unopposed as the NRM flag bearer in the parliamentary race, is tussling it out with three contestants who include DP’s Joe Senteza and two independents, Paul Luttamaguzi and Sempala Mbuga. While the cattle-keeping tribes in the northern part of Nakaseke are happy with Bumba over her uncompromising stand on Butalangu, because of its central location, the Baganda population in the southern part, who preferred Nakaseke town, are crying foul and are vowing to deny her votes.
Bumba, the strongest candidates, is putting on a fine face to the situation. She says in her manifesto that she will “appease†the disgruntled parties by ensuring that Nakaseke is granted a Town Council status in compensation for loosing the district headquarters. But the promise has so far failed to win the hearts of the aggrieved voters especially those in Nakaseke and Kapeeka sub-counties. Yet, the southern part has three times more voters than the north which has more cows than people. These votes may go to Bumba’s arch-rival, Mbuga, unless she becomes more creative.
The writer is a journalist