Kalungu backs Museveni for 4th term

Sep 11, 2007

SUPPORTERS of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party in Kalungu East, Masaka have asked President Yoweri Museveni to contest for the presidency after his current term expires in 2011, saying the country still needed his wise leadership.

By Eddie Ssejjoba

SUPPORTERS of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party in Kalungu East, Masaka have asked President Yoweri Museveni to contest for the presidency after his current term expires in 2011, saying the country still needed his wise leadership.

The request was made at a public rally addressed by the President at Kyambala Muslim Primary school playground in Bukulula sub-county.

“We know you as an able leader. Now that the people of Kalungu have asked you to come back for another term, why would you to reject their demands?” said the newly-elected area MP, Umaru Lule Mawiya.

Mawiya who won a hotly contested by-election recently, thanked the President for backing him and also pledged to remain loyal to the party and its chairman.

The call for the President to re-run in 2011 was also made by the chairman of Mawiya’s campaign team who is also the Lukaya town council chairperson, Kiddu Ssali.

Museveni thanked the NRM team for working tirelessly to capture the parliamentary seat and dismissed claims that the small margin between Mawiya and Mukasa Mbidde, the Democratic Party candidate, was a sign of a weak NRM.

He told his audience that comprised the Parliament Speaker, Edward Ssekandi and ministers that most of Mbidde’s votes were from disgruntled NRM members.

Mawiya got 9,949 votes as opposed to Mbidde’s 9,031. Independent candidate Jemeo Kiberu came third with 207 while FDC’s Godfrey Kayemba got 190 votes.
The President cautioned NRM supporters against backing opposition candidates, saying it was easier to control an NRM candidate than one loyal to the opposition.

“Mbidde had vowed to use this constituency to fight the NRM party. How could we manage him after you voted him into Parliament?” Museveni asked.
“I want you to organise and identify all our supporters who are still angry and never voted for Mawiya so that I can persuade them back.”

Museveni again put to task the local leaders to explain how people had benefited from the NAADS programme, saying the Government was spending a lot of money on the programme yet no much impact had been realised.

He advised the leaders to use radios to sensitise people on poverty alleviation. He asked the residents to grow fruits, rear chicken, goats, pigs and zero-graze.
Museveni pledged to start visiting individual homes to assess how they had worked to improve their incomes.

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