Rukiga county by-elections: Another Mbale in the making?

Mar 17, 2010

Bakiga are generally rated as physically fit people in Uganda. When they dance, the ground shakes. Currently, they are not dancing their usual rigorous cultural dance, but a political dance and indeed, the country is shaking.

By Bwogi Buyera, Darius Magara and Joshua Kato

Bakiga are generally rated as physically fit people in Uganda. When they dance, the ground shakes. Currently, they are not dancing their usual rigorous cultural dance, but a political dance and indeed, the country is shaking.

Campaigns for Rukiga County parliamentary by-elections are in high gear. The seat fell vacant early this year following the death of Samuel Byanagwa. The by-election is set for March 23.

The major battle is between Adison Kakuru of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and Jack Sabiiti of the Forum of the Democratic Change (FDC).

However, four days to the poll, the NRM still has a big challenge — Kakuru, the party’s official candidate has to contend with the Amos Mugisha, who, after failing in the NRM primaries, decided to stand as an independent candidate.

Mugisha claims rigged the primaries. A high profile NRM forum, which included officials from State House sat in Kampala recently to resolve the issue. The forum reportedly tried to convince Mugisha to stand down for Kakuru but the meeting hit a dead end.

Last week, the NRM top leaders were in the district to reconcile the two NRM candidates but failed. Shemu Bageine, a senior NRM party leader, blames the mess on dirty politics of extremism, arrogance and egoism exhibited by senior leaders in the primaries.

“The party now has a challenge to appease the aggrieved members who are accusing it of rigging, intimidation and vote buying in the primaries,” Bageine said.

Indeed, some youth party members are accusing the party of rigging the primaries in favour of Kakuru and they have threatened to vote for Mugisha, unless something is done.

What makes Rukiga?
Rukiga is one of the six counties or constituencies that make up Kabale district in south-western Uganda. Rukiga County is perhaps one of the most politically volatile constituencies in the country since it is the home to many big shots in the Government.

These include FDC’s strongman, Jack Sabiiti; agriculture minister Hope Mwesigye; former finance state minister, Manzi Tumubwine and Bishop George Katwesigye of Kigezi Diocese.

Problems faced
Issues that affect Rukiga are similar to those faced by other areas across the country. These include poor health facilities, poor school performance and bad roads.

“The people want hospitals with medicine, markets for their produce and good schools,” Sabiiti says. He claims he is the only person who can deliver what the people want.

But, it is the politics and the cliques in the county that will determine who finally becomes MP.

Political battles
When the NRM came to power in 1986, two powerful individuals emerged in the county to fight for the Rukiga political supremacy.

The former finance minister and freedom fighter, now turned opposition figure, Sabiiti, fought for the control of Rukiga.

In 1994, Sabiiti won the race to the National Constituent Assembly that was mandated to draft the 1995 Constitution.

Manzi Tumubwine was the county’s representative to the National Resistance Council. At the time, Sabiiti enjoyed the support of Adison Kakuru and Lt. James Mwesigye, who is currently the Kasese resident district commissioner.

Sabiiti won the race only to be dislodged from Parliament by Samuel Byanagwa in the 2006 general elections. In 2006, the hitherto little-known Byanagwa, dislodged Sabiiti from Parliament. But even then, it is worth noting that Sabiiti’s popularity waned when he decided to stand as an FDC candidate in the rural NRM stronghold.

For the first time, the Rukiga people were able to settle down without the division along the lines of Sabitism and Manzism that had characterised the area politics for over 20 years. Then, tragedy struck early this year when their MP Byanagwa died.

A protest vote?
Kabale, just like Mbale, is troubled by cliques among the NRM leaders. The impact of these cliques might decide the way the vote goes. One of the groups, Nyekundire, was very influential in soliciting votes for President Museveni in the la st two elections.

But the group fell out with minister Mwesigye whom they accused of bad-mouthing them to the President and the party general secretary, Amama Mbabazi. However, Mwesigye denies the accusations.

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