Wabudeya takes on Nandala, as Namayanja, Otaala face new rivals
Apr 02, 2010
THE election year, 2011, is around the corner. Incumbents will struggle to retain their seats while many others will vie to replace them. The contests will cut across; from president, parliamentary constituencies to local government.
THE election year, 2011, is around the corner. Incumbents will struggle to retain their seats while many others will vie to replace them. The contests will cut across; from president, parliamentary constituencies to local government.
As the temperatures begin to rise, Saturday Vision puts a barometer on the political climate; analysing the aspirants and the issues that are likely to influence voter choices
Budadiri West, sironko district
The Minister for the Presidency, Dr. Beatrice Wabudeya, intends to contest against outspoken opposition legislator Nandala Mafabi.
“In the past, I have been elected on affirmative action to represent women, but this time I want to stand as an NRM flag-bearer,†said Wabudeya, the Sironko Woman MP. “I announced my intentions during the International Women’s Day celebrations at Buwalasi sub-county.â€
In the NRM, she has to face David Giruli in the primaries. Giruli was an MP in the Sixth Parliament and is currently the chairman of Sironko District Service Commission.
He argues that it is time Wabudeya retired from active politics and that he is the only one who can defeat Mafabi, to whom he lost in 2006. He got 48% against Mafabi’s 52%.
 “Wabudeya has been an MP for 15 years but she has not used her ministerial position to develop Sironko,†Giruli says.
But Shaban Kachemete, who has worked closely with Wabudeya, says she has contributed to the construction of churches and schools and lobbied for the district to get a grader.
“She is a national figure who has explained Government development programmes to the people. She helped women in her constituency start cottage industries as income ventures to reduce poverty in the households,†Kachemete says, adding that Wabudeya was instrumental in the creation of Bulambuli district.
The incumbent, Nandala Mafabi, however, says he is not worried about Wabudeya. “By abandoning the women ticket, Wabudeya is just looking for a decent exit from the political scene,†he says. “My track record in Budadiri West and Bugisu speaks for itself. I have done a lot of things for my constituents, even without being in the ruling party.â€
 Mafabi boasts of spearheading the struggle to save the once prosperous Bugisu Co-operative Union from collapse, when he was elected chairman board of directors.
He beat Bulambuli MP Iganasio Mudimi in a tense election that was viewed as a battle between NRM and FDC.
Mafabi’s constituents are also happy about his active involvement in parliamentary debates. He is the chairman of the public accounts committee, which has been grilling government officials on the way CHOGM funds were spent.
Buikwe West
Anthony Kanyike, the district NRM chairman, announced recently that he had pulled out of the race to ensure the NRM candidate had full support from party members.
This left two aspirants in the race; Norman Muwulize, the incumbent and Baker Ssali, a prominent farmer in Lugazi town.
In 2006, Kanyike beat Muwulize in the NRM primaries but Muwulize, decided to stand as an Independent. The race left NRM supporters in the constituency divided, especially after Muwulize won.
Both Muwulize and Ssali are on the NRM ticket and will fight their battle in the primaries.
Since 1996, the constituency has been represented by NRM MPs. Kanyike was MP from 1996 to 2001 and Eron Nantume from 2001 to 2006. Muwulize and Ssali both boast strong support among the voters. Muwulize being the incumbent has the advantage, but he still has an uphill task of convincing voters who may not be pleased with his performance so far.
 Voters say Muwulize spent most his term battling Kanyike, who challenged his 2006 victory in court on the grounds that he presented wrong academic papers to the Electoral Commission during nominations.
 Kanyike sued Muwulize immediately after the elections and withdrew the case only recently, after over four years in court.
 Perhaps a factor that may give Muwulize an advantage is that he has been the patron of the committee, which spearheaded the demand for the creation of Buikwe district.
Ssali, on the other hand, is a new player on the political arena. while Muwulize was in court, he was doing underground work in preparation for the 2011 race.
A graduate of Business Administration from Makerere University Business School (MUBS), Ssali has supported youth activities like sports and agriculture and is known for giving free coffee seedlings to farmers.
 He also stands a chance of wining over many of Kanyike’s supporters.
However, it is too early to predict who is likely to win the race.
Kyegegwa woman
The newly-created district has attracted several aspirants including the Mityana resident district commissioner, Harriet Kagaba.
The others are Flavia Rwabuhoro, a secondary school teacher, Betty Kato Birungi a journalist with Uganda Broadcasting Corporation and Ruth Muganda, a lawyer.
All the contestants are NRM party members. However, political analysts have predicted that the seat will attract independent candidates after the NRM primaries in May.
Kagaba, who was the first woman MP for Kyenjojo district, is considered a strong contender.
Residents say that both Kagaba and Rwabuhoro have experience in politics and their campaigns are expected to be hot.
In 2006, Rwabuhoro contested for the Kyenjojo woman MP seat but she lost to Joyce Kwebiiha.
She has worked with many community organisations, which allowed her to interact with the people on a more personal level.
NAKASEKE WOMANÂ
THE incumbent Rose Namayanja, who was unopposed in 2006, has got a challenger.
Elizabeth Nabakka Musaazi, daughter of the late Ignatius Musaazi, a pre-independence freedom fighter, says she wants to improve the district’s social infrastructure.
Musaazi who recently returned from the US, says she wants to use her global contacts to develop rural Nakaseke.
She has participated in sinking boreholes and distributing maize seeds in addition to funding sub-county NRM conferences and fundraisings.
Her sympathisers, who are mostly in Kasangombe sub-county, her father’s home area, accuse Namayanja of being elusive and unpredictable, a weakness which Musaazi exploits by attending almost all functions in the district.  Â
Musaazi’s undoing, however, is that she has been out of the country for so long that she needs to do a lot to make herself known to the majority of the electorate in the vast constituency.
Namayanja, on the other hand, has the advantage of being a sort of household name in Nakaseke, having successively served as Youth MP for the central region, before becoming the first woman MP of the district. She is also apsiring to be elected deputy secretary general of the NRM.  Â
West Budama South
The race for the West Budama South parliamentary seat started earlier than most other constituencies and is expected to get hotter.
The constituency is represented by Emmanuel Otaala, the state minister for labour. In 2006, Otaala beat Emmanuel Othieno Akika, Akisoferi Ogola, Job Odoi and Geoffrey Oita.
One of the highlights of his tenure was the spirited fight he put up against the splitting up of Tororo district.
No other politician demonstrated as much enthusiasm, emotion or assertiveness in opposing the local government ministry’s decision to split Tororo into two and change the name of the mother district.
Otaala openly threatened to resign from his ministerial position if his local government counterpart went ahead to divide Tororo in such a way that the municipality and West Budama fell in separate districts. In the end the local government ministry abandoned the split.
Otaala is also credited with actively engaging in fundraising activities for churches, helping with funeral expenses and propping local savings and credit groups.
He is also known to have distributed mosquito nets and expedited the construction of parish-level health centres.
His wife, Phoebe Otaala, has been similarly involved in community activities and does not miss an opportunity to drum up support for her husband. She also organised free cervical and breast cancer screening for women.
Otaala’s main challenger will be Jacob Oboth-Oboth, a youthful lawyer. Until recently, Oboth-Oboth was the principal resident state attorney in charge of eastern Uganda.
Knowing that it is not easy to beat an incumbent, especially a minister, Oboth-Oboth started his groundwork more than a year ago.
He attends funerals, parties and church functions, at which he makes no secret about his intentions. He also started a football tournament.
Like Otaala, Oboth-Oboth is joining the race under the NRM, which means he will have to wrestle with the minister in the party primaries.
He has received the blessing of the district LC5 chairman, Emmanuel Osuna, which has caused tension between the latter and Otaala.
His offer of free legal advice to his constituents has won many hearts, although some accuse him of helping suspects to get out of jail.
An NGO in which he is a director has also been organising annual medical camps during which local doctors and volunteers from the USA provide free medical services. The NGO has also given bursaries to needy children.
The third aspirant is Emmanuel Othieno Akika, who lost to Otaala in 2006.
Akika represented the constituency between 1996 and 2001, when he was also state minister for water. In 2001, he lost narrowly to Akisoferi Ogola, after a scuffle with the latter’s supporters on polling day, during which he is alleged to have fired a bullet from his pistol. Within hours, false information had spread throughout the constituency that Akika had shot dead his rival’s supporter and he lost the elections.
In 2006, Akika tried again but Otaala beat him in the NRM primaries.
He went ahead to stand as an independent candidate and lost. Akika is determined to re-invent himself ahead of the 2011 elections.
However, many say the real fight will be between Otaala and Oboth-Oboth.
Compiled by: Joseph Wanzusi, John Semakula, Hope Mafaranga, Moses Nampala and Frederick Kiwanuka
As the temperatures begin to rise, Saturday Vision puts a barometer on the political climate; analysing the aspirants and the issues that are likely to influence voter choices
Budadiri West, sironko district
The Minister for the Presidency, Dr. Beatrice Wabudeya, intends to contest against outspoken opposition legislator Nandala Mafabi.
“In the past, I have been elected on affirmative action to represent women, but this time I want to stand as an NRM flag-bearer,†said Wabudeya, the Sironko Woman MP. “I announced my intentions during the International Women’s Day celebrations at Buwalasi sub-county.â€
In the NRM, she has to face David Giruli in the primaries. Giruli was an MP in the Sixth Parliament and is currently the chairman of Sironko District Service Commission.
He argues that it is time Wabudeya retired from active politics and that he is the only one who can defeat Mafabi, to whom he lost in 2006. He got 48% against Mafabi’s 52%.
 “Wabudeya has been an MP for 15 years but she has not used her ministerial position to develop Sironko,†Giruli says.
But Shaban Kachemete, who has worked closely with Wabudeya, says she has contributed to the construction of churches and schools and lobbied for the district to get a grader.
“She is a national figure who has explained Government development programmes to the people. She helped women in her constituency start cottage industries as income ventures to reduce poverty in the households,†Kachemete says, adding that Wabudeya was instrumental in the creation of Bulambuli district.
The incumbent, Nandala Mafabi, however, says he is not worried about Wabudeya. “By abandoning the women ticket, Wabudeya is just looking for a decent exit from the political scene,†he says. “My track record in Budadiri West and Bugisu speaks for itself. I have done a lot of things for my constituents, even without being in the ruling party.â€
 Mafabi boasts of spearheading the struggle to save the once prosperous Bugisu Co-operative Union from collapse, when he was elected chairman board of directors.
He beat Bulambuli MP Iganasio Mudimi in a tense election that was viewed as a battle between NRM and FDC.
Mafabi’s constituents are also happy about his active involvement in parliamentary debates. He is the chairman of the public accounts committee, which has been grilling government officials on the way CHOGM funds were spent.
Buikwe West
Anthony Kanyike, the district NRM chairman, announced recently that he had pulled out of the race to ensure the NRM candidate had full support from party members.
This left two aspirants in the race; Norman Muwulize, the incumbent and Baker Ssali, a prominent farmer in Lugazi town.
In 2006, Kanyike beat Muwulize in the NRM primaries but Muwulize, decided to stand as an Independent. The race left NRM supporters in the constituency divided, especially after Muwulize won.
Both Muwulize and Ssali are on the NRM ticket and will fight their battle in the primaries.
Since 1996, the constituency has been represented by NRM MPs. Kanyike was MP from 1996 to 2001 and Eron Nantume from 2001 to 2006. Muwulize and Ssali both boast strong support among the voters. Muwulize being the incumbent has the advantage, but he still has an uphill task of convincing voters who may not be pleased with his performance so far.
 Voters say Muwulize spent most his term battling Kanyike, who challenged his 2006 victory in court on the grounds that he presented wrong academic papers to the Electoral Commission during nominations.
 Kanyike sued Muwulize immediately after the elections and withdrew the case only recently, after over four years in court.
 Perhaps a factor that may give Muwulize an advantage is that he has been the patron of the committee, which spearheaded the demand for the creation of Buikwe district.
Ssali, on the other hand, is a new player on the political arena. while Muwulize was in court, he was doing underground work in preparation for the 2011 race.
A graduate of Business Administration from Makerere University Business School (MUBS), Ssali has supported youth activities like sports and agriculture and is known for giving free coffee seedlings to farmers.
 He also stands a chance of wining over many of Kanyike’s supporters.
However, it is too early to predict who is likely to win the race.
Kyegegwa woman
The newly-created district has attracted several aspirants including the Mityana resident district commissioner, Harriet Kagaba.
The others are Flavia Rwabuhoro, a secondary school teacher, Betty Kato Birungi a journalist with Uganda Broadcasting Corporation and Ruth Muganda, a lawyer.
All the contestants are NRM party members. However, political analysts have predicted that the seat will attract independent candidates after the NRM primaries in May.
Kagaba, who was the first woman MP for Kyenjojo district, is considered a strong contender.
Residents say that both Kagaba and Rwabuhoro have experience in politics and their campaigns are expected to be hot.
In 2006, Rwabuhoro contested for the Kyenjojo woman MP seat but she lost to Joyce Kwebiiha.
She has worked with many community organisations, which allowed her to interact with the people on a more personal level.
NAKASEKE WOMANÂ
THE incumbent Rose Namayanja, who was unopposed in 2006, has got a challenger.
Elizabeth Nabakka Musaazi, daughter of the late Ignatius Musaazi, a pre-independence freedom fighter, says she wants to improve the district’s social infrastructure.
Musaazi who recently returned from the US, says she wants to use her global contacts to develop rural Nakaseke.
She has participated in sinking boreholes and distributing maize seeds in addition to funding sub-county NRM conferences and fundraisings.
Her sympathisers, who are mostly in Kasangombe sub-county, her father’s home area, accuse Namayanja of being elusive and unpredictable, a weakness which Musaazi exploits by attending almost all functions in the district.  Â
Musaazi’s undoing, however, is that she has been out of the country for so long that she needs to do a lot to make herself known to the majority of the electorate in the vast constituency.
Namayanja, on the other hand, has the advantage of being a sort of household name in Nakaseke, having successively served as Youth MP for the central region, before becoming the first woman MP of the district. She is also apsiring to be elected deputy secretary general of the NRM.  Â
West Budama South
The race for the West Budama South parliamentary seat started earlier than most other constituencies and is expected to get hotter.
The constituency is represented by Emmanuel Otaala, the state minister for labour. In 2006, Otaala beat Emmanuel Othieno Akika, Akisoferi Ogola, Job Odoi and Geoffrey Oita.
One of the highlights of his tenure was the spirited fight he put up against the splitting up of Tororo district.
No other politician demonstrated as much enthusiasm, emotion or assertiveness in opposing the local government ministry’s decision to split Tororo into two and change the name of the mother district.
Otaala openly threatened to resign from his ministerial position if his local government counterpart went ahead to divide Tororo in such a way that the municipality and West Budama fell in separate districts. In the end the local government ministry abandoned the split.
Otaala is also credited with actively engaging in fundraising activities for churches, helping with funeral expenses and propping local savings and credit groups.
He is also known to have distributed mosquito nets and expedited the construction of parish-level health centres.
His wife, Phoebe Otaala, has been similarly involved in community activities and does not miss an opportunity to drum up support for her husband. She also organised free cervical and breast cancer screening for women.
Otaala’s main challenger will be Jacob Oboth-Oboth, a youthful lawyer. Until recently, Oboth-Oboth was the principal resident state attorney in charge of eastern Uganda.
Knowing that it is not easy to beat an incumbent, especially a minister, Oboth-Oboth started his groundwork more than a year ago.
He attends funerals, parties and church functions, at which he makes no secret about his intentions. He also started a football tournament.
Like Otaala, Oboth-Oboth is joining the race under the NRM, which means he will have to wrestle with the minister in the party primaries.
He has received the blessing of the district LC5 chairman, Emmanuel Osuna, which has caused tension between the latter and Otaala.
His offer of free legal advice to his constituents has won many hearts, although some accuse him of helping suspects to get out of jail.
An NGO in which he is a director has also been organising annual medical camps during which local doctors and volunteers from the USA provide free medical services. The NGO has also given bursaries to needy children.
The third aspirant is Emmanuel Othieno Akika, who lost to Otaala in 2006.
Akika represented the constituency between 1996 and 2001, when he was also state minister for water. In 2001, he lost narrowly to Akisoferi Ogola, after a scuffle with the latter’s supporters on polling day, during which he is alleged to have fired a bullet from his pistol. Within hours, false information had spread throughout the constituency that Akika had shot dead his rival’s supporter and he lost the elections.
In 2006, Akika tried again but Otaala beat him in the NRM primaries.
He went ahead to stand as an independent candidate and lost. Akika is determined to re-invent himself ahead of the 2011 elections.
However, many say the real fight will be between Otaala and Oboth-Oboth.
Compiled by: Joseph Wanzusi, John Semakula, Hope Mafaranga, Moses Nampala and Frederick Kiwanuka