Sematimba fires up race for Rubaga
Apr 19, 2009
The entry of Peter Sematimba and independent Caroline Kakembo, into the Rubaga LC3 by-elections race has dramatically raised the stakes.
By Joshua Kato
THE entry of Peter Sematimba and independent Caroline Kakembo, into the Rubaga LC3 by-elections race has dramatically raised the stakes.
Nominations for the elections to replace the late Winnie Makumbi are due on April 7 and 8.
Sematimba, a former city mayoral candidate, is known for his intensive campaigning and wide appeal.
The parties
There are 13 parishes in the division and almost all of them are represented by opposition councillors.
The Democatric Party (DP) would prefer that all the other opposition groups support it because of its strength in Buganda. In all parliamentary by-elections in the region, no Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) candidate, for instance, has beaten a DP one.
However, with the shaky relationship between the two parties, this support is unlikely.
It is important for both DP and FDC to win the seat. For FDC, it will erase the belief that Rubaga belongs to DP while for DP, it will cement this belief.
If they fail to reach a compromise, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) might claim the seat. A win would give the party a chance to prove that the city does not belong to the opposition.
But Kakembo is not intimidated:
“Nobody owns this division and if they do, all of them have contributed to the mess we are in. I have done my own ground work and realised that the population wants a saviour, not parties,†she says.
The candidates Peter Sematimba
A reputable businessman, Sematimba is believed to be standing on the NRM ticket. Already, other NRM contenders like Willy Kituuka and Wilson Kabugo are shaken by his decision to join the race.
However, the final decision as to whether he will stand on the NRM ticket, or as an independent will be made today, when the NRM holds primaries. Sematimba is an investor in the division. He owns Super FM, contributed to the set-up of CBS FM and lives in Rubaga.
Having lost the mayoral seat, Sematimba understands the dynamics of party politics. To woo NRM supporters in the division, Sematimba invited them for a party.
It was also revealed that top NRM leaders favour Sematimba as the party candidate. On the other hand, some NRM supporters are opposed to him.
“He is a new-comer. We should give the chance to people like Wilson Kabugo who have supported us all these years,†said one of the NRM leaders in Rubaga.
Analysts believe that other than Sematimba, no other NRM candidate can offer enough resistance against the might of the opposition in Rubaga. “I have not come to get money, because I already have it. I have come to serve my people,†he says.
Caroline Kakembo
Kakembo is the second woman in the race, after FDC’s Joyce Ssebugwawo.
She is a born-again Christian and a lawyer. “I chose to be independent because we need an independent mind to tackle the problems in Rubaga,†she says. “I have been a leader most of my life.â€
Kakembo says she has witnessed the division turn into a mess. “When you move around Rubaga, you meet many young boys picking scrap. They are not in school because their parents are either dead or have no money,†she says. “Funds to help these youth are regularly sent to the division.â€
As far as the land conflicts in the division are concerned, Kakembo is confident that she will solve them given her background as a lawyer. “I will be at the service of my people, to help them interpret the laws of the land,†she says.
Joyce Ssebugwawo, FDC
Ssebugwawo is no stranger in Rubaga. She resides there and has been a top-level Buganda official for many years. Having served as a Buganda minister, this gives her an edge, at least in as far as Buganda issues are concerned.
She also promises to help the women of Rubaga develop. Her chances are, however, affected by the numerous opposition candidates in the race.
Moses Makumbi, DP
The husband to the late Winnie Makumbi, he is the official DP candidate. He was first fronted by Kampala Mayor Nasser Ntege Ssebagala.
However, the cohesion in his party might be affected if the Mukono North by-elections take place at the same time because it is likely that many DP supporters may opt to campaign for Betty Nambooze in Mukono.
He might also become a victim of the fighting between Ssebagala and Kampala central MP Erias Lukwago.
Henry Lubowa, Social Democratic Party (SDP)
“While members of other other parties are fighting among themselves, in SDP we have cohesion,†he says. Lubowa is not a political novice by any standards. He joined politics at Makerere University as a member of the Uganda Young Democrats and was a youth councillor at Kampala City Council until 2006.
A member of the influential campaigning machinery of DP for many years, Lubowa boasts that even when he crossed over to the SDP, he went with his team from DP.
Lubowa says he is not afraid of Sematimba. “As long as he is standing on the bus (NRM) ticket, he is not a threat,†he says.
THE entry of Peter Sematimba and independent Caroline Kakembo, into the Rubaga LC3 by-elections race has dramatically raised the stakes.
Nominations for the elections to replace the late Winnie Makumbi are due on April 7 and 8.
Sematimba, a former city mayoral candidate, is known for his intensive campaigning and wide appeal.
The parties
There are 13 parishes in the division and almost all of them are represented by opposition councillors.
The Democatric Party (DP) would prefer that all the other opposition groups support it because of its strength in Buganda. In all parliamentary by-elections in the region, no Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) candidate, for instance, has beaten a DP one.
However, with the shaky relationship between the two parties, this support is unlikely.
It is important for both DP and FDC to win the seat. For FDC, it will erase the belief that Rubaga belongs to DP while for DP, it will cement this belief.
If they fail to reach a compromise, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) might claim the seat. A win would give the party a chance to prove that the city does not belong to the opposition.
But Kakembo is not intimidated:
“Nobody owns this division and if they do, all of them have contributed to the mess we are in. I have done my own ground work and realised that the population wants a saviour, not parties,†she says.
The candidates Peter Sematimba
A reputable businessman, Sematimba is believed to be standing on the NRM ticket. Already, other NRM contenders like Willy Kituuka and Wilson Kabugo are shaken by his decision to join the race.
However, the final decision as to whether he will stand on the NRM ticket, or as an independent will be made today, when the NRM holds primaries. Sematimba is an investor in the division. He owns Super FM, contributed to the set-up of CBS FM and lives in Rubaga.
Having lost the mayoral seat, Sematimba understands the dynamics of party politics. To woo NRM supporters in the division, Sematimba invited them for a party.
It was also revealed that top NRM leaders favour Sematimba as the party candidate. On the other hand, some NRM supporters are opposed to him.
“He is a new-comer. We should give the chance to people like Wilson Kabugo who have supported us all these years,†said one of the NRM leaders in Rubaga.
Analysts believe that other than Sematimba, no other NRM candidate can offer enough resistance against the might of the opposition in Rubaga. “I have not come to get money, because I already have it. I have come to serve my people,†he says.
Caroline Kakembo
Kakembo is the second woman in the race, after FDC’s Joyce Ssebugwawo.
She is a born-again Christian and a lawyer. “I chose to be independent because we need an independent mind to tackle the problems in Rubaga,†she says. “I have been a leader most of my life.â€
Kakembo says she has witnessed the division turn into a mess. “When you move around Rubaga, you meet many young boys picking scrap. They are not in school because their parents are either dead or have no money,†she says. “Funds to help these youth are regularly sent to the division.â€
As far as the land conflicts in the division are concerned, Kakembo is confident that she will solve them given her background as a lawyer. “I will be at the service of my people, to help them interpret the laws of the land,†she says.
Joyce Ssebugwawo, FDC
Ssebugwawo is no stranger in Rubaga. She resides there and has been a top-level Buganda official for many years. Having served as a Buganda minister, this gives her an edge, at least in as far as Buganda issues are concerned.
She also promises to help the women of Rubaga develop. Her chances are, however, affected by the numerous opposition candidates in the race.
Moses Makumbi, DP
The husband to the late Winnie Makumbi, he is the official DP candidate. He was first fronted by Kampala Mayor Nasser Ntege Ssebagala.
However, the cohesion in his party might be affected if the Mukono North by-elections take place at the same time because it is likely that many DP supporters may opt to campaign for Betty Nambooze in Mukono.
He might also become a victim of the fighting between Ssebagala and Kampala central MP Erias Lukwago.
Henry Lubowa, Social Democratic Party (SDP)
“While members of other other parties are fighting among themselves, in SDP we have cohesion,†he says. Lubowa is not a political novice by any standards. He joined politics at Makerere University as a member of the Uganda Young Democrats and was a youth councillor at Kampala City Council until 2006.
A member of the influential campaigning machinery of DP for many years, Lubowa boasts that even when he crossed over to the SDP, he went with his team from DP.
Lubowa says he is not afraid of Sematimba. “As long as he is standing on the bus (NRM) ticket, he is not a threat,†he says.