What is Sebaggala’s latest trump card?
Sep 25, 2010
KAMPALA mayor Nasser Sebaggala insists that his political rivals who criticise President Museveni will not be victorious in the 2011 elections.
By Henry Mukasa
KAMPALA mayor Nasser Sebaggala insists that his political rivals who criticise President Museveni will not be victorious in the 2011 elections.
“If you use force like Lukwago (Kampala Central MP) you cannot succeed because you don’t have numbers in parliament. But if you negotiate, you benefit,†he says.
Those who have followed Sebaggala’s political progress will, however, not find it surprising that the former opposition hardliner now promises to campaign for Museveni in next year’s elections.
Sebaggala came to the political scene with a lot of promise. Despite his poor English he won the Kampala mayoral elections in 1998 with a landslide victory owing to his grass-root mobilisation strategy. His ambition was built on the anger of the wretched of the city and fused with the latent anti-government sentiments in the urban areas.
Even after he was jailed in the US over financial fraud, he returned home to a heroic welcome from his supporters. His alliance with Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye in 2001 gave the ex-soldier a major boost in and around Kampala. Sebaggala again scored convincing victory to regain his mayoral seat in 2006.
But after a few years at the helm of the city council, his supporters started to lose hope in him. Last year, Ssebaggala contested for the DP presidency and lost to Nobert Mao. Out of disappointment, he formed his own party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Apart from the meeting that elected him, nothing else has ever been heard of that party.
All along, Ssebaggala’s disposition was of a true opposition figure trying to oust the sitting National Resistance Movement (NRM) government of President Yoweri Museveni. He has since changed his stance arguing first, that he needed to cooperate with government so as to get resources to beautify the capital city. And lately, he has announced not only his alliance with his former foe but that he will campaign for President Museveni come 2011.
“We agreed that we shall ally. We want proportional representation in sharing of power and not winner takes it all. I am very comfortable with NRM but I have not become NRM,†he remarked
Like the proverbial cat which has nine lives, Sebaggala has made his political calculations and chosen self preservation rather than taking the battle to his traditional opponents. With his declining popularity, Sebaggala quite understands that he can make little impact in opposition politics.
“For a party to perform well, it has to have structures. It’s meaningless to say that I am going to stand for President. It makes no sense to be president when you have ten MPs,†Ssebaggala explains.
It is confidence that drew people around Sebaggala. His boldness even in embarrassing times, makes him go for his target regardless of what others think.
“A politician needs to focus ahead. They (opposition) have allied under IPC, I have joined NRM. We shall find out in 2011 who will be the beneficiary,†he says.
He adds that after a thorough analysis of all political parties in the country, he found NRM achievements and plans more enticing. He listed security, infrastructure, investment climate, national development and visionary leadership as scores for Museveni’s NRM.
To him, the NRM is a government of promise because it has delivered much on infrastructure, especially on highways that criss-cross the country. He said a traveller going to Arua can connect to Acholi, Lango, Teso and back to Kampala on tarmac roads. He added that from Kampala, one can reach Kabale via Masaka and Mbarara on tarmac; then connect to Kasese, Mubende, Hoima, Masindi and back on tarmac.
Asked how it felt forging an alliance with a man he has been campaigning against for the last two decades, Sebaggala goes for a textbook answer: “In politics there are no permanent enemies or friends. There are permanent interests.†He adds, “I used to support Reform Agenda. It doesn’t mean that now I have joined NRM.â€
The LDP leader predicts that President Museveni and NRM will exploit the bickering among opposition parties and leaders to romp to victory. “The opposition shall lose. We are disgruntled,†he quips.
He likens FDC leader Kizza Besigye, DP boss Norbert Mao and UPC chief Olara Otunnu to hunters who make noise while setting a snare. “You have one cause but if you make noise, the animal eventually escapes,†he asserted.
He promises to campaign for President Museveni but stresses it will not be a one way traffic. “Assuming I stand for mayor, it will be his duty to come and campaign for me,†Sebaggala reveals.
It is understood that he has written to President Yoweri Museveni asking him to stall the Kampala City Bill, which seeks to make the post of Kampala mayor ceremonial and transfer his powers to an executive director appointed by the President.
But to many, such as Makerere University political science lecturer Prof. Aaron Mukwaya, Sebaggala is a man of no consequence in today’s politics. “He has never been among the people I profile. I am sorry if I am letting him down. He is a local politician,†Mukwaya commented.
You can dismiss Sebaggala’s political might but not his calculation. It needs no microscope to see that there was nothing left for him in the opposition anymore and the way to survive was to ally with the ruling party.
Ex-critics who have joined NRM
Omara Atubo: Claiming to have been rigged out of the UPC primaries in 2006, Atubo stood as an independent and won the elections. He then signed a memorandum of understanding with NRM and was appointed minister.
Ephraim Kamuntu:
Crossed to NRM from UPC towards 2006 . He won the parliamentary elections after government agreed to extend electricity to Sheema south, his constituency. Prior to that, he had repeatedly lost the elections.
Aggrey Awori: He used to be a critic of the NRM in parliament. He stood for the presidency against Museveni in 2001 and lost. He remained a critic until 2006 when he was appointed minister.
Maria Mutagamba: She was the face of Paul Ssemogerere’s candidature against Museveni in the 1996 presidential elections. After Ssemogerere lost, Mutagamba crossed to NRM amid speculation that her creditors were descending on her.
Steven Mallinga: He belonged to UPC until 2006, when he agreed to cross to the NRM on condition that his county was made a district. He then stood for MP on an NRM ticket and won.
Alex Onzima: He was one of the longest serving critics of the NRM in Parliament. He agreed to cooperate with the NRM when his home area was granted district status. Subsequently, he was expelled from FDC.
Eriya Kategeya: Between 2002-2005 he was one of the NRM voices against amending the Constitution to give Museveni a third term. He hobnobed with FDC for sometime. He was dropped from Cabinet in 2003 and re-appointed in 2006.
Tamale Mirundi: He was all over local radio stations and newspapers criticising the NRM for years. Many were surprised when he took up an appointment as a presidential spokesman.
Robert Sebunya: The former Buganda health minister was with the opposition for a long time. He supported Kizza Besigye in 2001. He later became the presidential advisor on Buganda.
KAMPALA mayor Nasser Sebaggala insists that his political rivals who criticise President Museveni will not be victorious in the 2011 elections.
“If you use force like Lukwago (Kampala Central MP) you cannot succeed because you don’t have numbers in parliament. But if you negotiate, you benefit,†he says.
Those who have followed Sebaggala’s political progress will, however, not find it surprising that the former opposition hardliner now promises to campaign for Museveni in next year’s elections.
Sebaggala came to the political scene with a lot of promise. Despite his poor English he won the Kampala mayoral elections in 1998 with a landslide victory owing to his grass-root mobilisation strategy. His ambition was built on the anger of the wretched of the city and fused with the latent anti-government sentiments in the urban areas.
Even after he was jailed in the US over financial fraud, he returned home to a heroic welcome from his supporters. His alliance with Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye in 2001 gave the ex-soldier a major boost in and around Kampala. Sebaggala again scored convincing victory to regain his mayoral seat in 2006.
But after a few years at the helm of the city council, his supporters started to lose hope in him. Last year, Ssebaggala contested for the DP presidency and lost to Nobert Mao. Out of disappointment, he formed his own party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Apart from the meeting that elected him, nothing else has ever been heard of that party.
All along, Ssebaggala’s disposition was of a true opposition figure trying to oust the sitting National Resistance Movement (NRM) government of President Yoweri Museveni. He has since changed his stance arguing first, that he needed to cooperate with government so as to get resources to beautify the capital city. And lately, he has announced not only his alliance with his former foe but that he will campaign for President Museveni come 2011.
“We agreed that we shall ally. We want proportional representation in sharing of power and not winner takes it all. I am very comfortable with NRM but I have not become NRM,†he remarked
Like the proverbial cat which has nine lives, Sebaggala has made his political calculations and chosen self preservation rather than taking the battle to his traditional opponents. With his declining popularity, Sebaggala quite understands that he can make little impact in opposition politics.
“For a party to perform well, it has to have structures. It’s meaningless to say that I am going to stand for President. It makes no sense to be president when you have ten MPs,†Ssebaggala explains.
It is confidence that drew people around Sebaggala. His boldness even in embarrassing times, makes him go for his target regardless of what others think.
“A politician needs to focus ahead. They (opposition) have allied under IPC, I have joined NRM. We shall find out in 2011 who will be the beneficiary,†he says.
He adds that after a thorough analysis of all political parties in the country, he found NRM achievements and plans more enticing. He listed security, infrastructure, investment climate, national development and visionary leadership as scores for Museveni’s NRM.
To him, the NRM is a government of promise because it has delivered much on infrastructure, especially on highways that criss-cross the country. He said a traveller going to Arua can connect to Acholi, Lango, Teso and back to Kampala on tarmac roads. He added that from Kampala, one can reach Kabale via Masaka and Mbarara on tarmac; then connect to Kasese, Mubende, Hoima, Masindi and back on tarmac.
Asked how it felt forging an alliance with a man he has been campaigning against for the last two decades, Sebaggala goes for a textbook answer: “In politics there are no permanent enemies or friends. There are permanent interests.†He adds, “I used to support Reform Agenda. It doesn’t mean that now I have joined NRM.â€
The LDP leader predicts that President Museveni and NRM will exploit the bickering among opposition parties and leaders to romp to victory. “The opposition shall lose. We are disgruntled,†he quips.
He likens FDC leader Kizza Besigye, DP boss Norbert Mao and UPC chief Olara Otunnu to hunters who make noise while setting a snare. “You have one cause but if you make noise, the animal eventually escapes,†he asserted.
He promises to campaign for President Museveni but stresses it will not be a one way traffic. “Assuming I stand for mayor, it will be his duty to come and campaign for me,†Sebaggala reveals.
It is understood that he has written to President Yoweri Museveni asking him to stall the Kampala City Bill, which seeks to make the post of Kampala mayor ceremonial and transfer his powers to an executive director appointed by the President.
But to many, such as Makerere University political science lecturer Prof. Aaron Mukwaya, Sebaggala is a man of no consequence in today’s politics. “He has never been among the people I profile. I am sorry if I am letting him down. He is a local politician,†Mukwaya commented.
You can dismiss Sebaggala’s political might but not his calculation. It needs no microscope to see that there was nothing left for him in the opposition anymore and the way to survive was to ally with the ruling party.
Ex-critics who have joined NRM
Omara Atubo: Claiming to have been rigged out of the UPC primaries in 2006, Atubo stood as an independent and won the elections. He then signed a memorandum of understanding with NRM and was appointed minister.
Ephraim Kamuntu:
Crossed to NRM from UPC towards 2006 . He won the parliamentary elections after government agreed to extend electricity to Sheema south, his constituency. Prior to that, he had repeatedly lost the elections.
Aggrey Awori: He used to be a critic of the NRM in parliament. He stood for the presidency against Museveni in 2001 and lost. He remained a critic until 2006 when he was appointed minister.
Maria Mutagamba: She was the face of Paul Ssemogerere’s candidature against Museveni in the 1996 presidential elections. After Ssemogerere lost, Mutagamba crossed to NRM amid speculation that her creditors were descending on her.
Steven Mallinga: He belonged to UPC until 2006, when he agreed to cross to the NRM on condition that his county was made a district. He then stood for MP on an NRM ticket and won.
Alex Onzima: He was one of the longest serving critics of the NRM in Parliament. He agreed to cooperate with the NRM when his home area was granted district status. Subsequently, he was expelled from FDC.
Eriya Kategeya: Between 2002-2005 he was one of the NRM voices against amending the Constitution to give Museveni a third term. He hobnobed with FDC for sometime. He was dropped from Cabinet in 2003 and re-appointed in 2006.
Tamale Mirundi: He was all over local radio stations and newspapers criticising the NRM for years. Many were surprised when he took up an appointment as a presidential spokesman.
Robert Sebunya: The former Buganda health minister was with the opposition for a long time. He supported Kizza Besigye in 2001. He later became the presidential advisor on Buganda.