Infighting splits DP Mukono leadership

POLITICS

MUKONO- The row within the Democratic Party (DP) leadership in Mukono municipality has widened creating two political factions in the party.

Area MP Betty Nambooze heads one and Fred Kagimu, the municipality's mayor, the other. Nambooze who feels she was Kagimu's godmother in politics said she was surprised to learn that he was interested in her seat.

Nambooze is pointing the finger at DP president general Norbert Mao.

Nambooze, who is currently at loggerheads with Mao, said he is on a mission to weaken all the strong DP candidates, by denying them the chance to stand on the party's ticket in the next year's general elections.

"This is Mao's deliberate effort to fight strong DP members who are fighting the NRM government. What is happening to me happened to Erias Lukwago, Muwanga Kivumbi, Florence Namayanja, Matthias Mpuuga, Medard Sseggona and Allan Ssewanyana," the Mukono Municipality legislator said.

However, Mao has always said there is no person who is bigger than DP, adding that those members who do not want to pay allegiance to the party's constitution will not get to stand on the party ticket.

Mao said he would not consider them even if they returned to the party because that would disorganise the party's structures.

Nambooze said she announced her retirement as Mukono district DP chairperson and expects the party to follow the constitution in filling that position.

"We were supposed to have elections right from the village to district level after I would call for a district delegates' conference, so as to get a successor.

Unfortunately, none of the above has ever happened because political meetings were barred in keeping with the COVID-19 guidelines," she said.

However, Kagimu refutes Nambooze's allegations, saying all the guidelines for the election of the party's district structures were followed resulting in his becoming the district chairperson.

Kagimu said he was also given the mandate to stand as the DP party flag-bearer for Mukono municipality by the delegates' conference.

Nambooze warned that DP in Mukono municipality would not only lose her as a candidate, but also many other leaders too.

"In greater Mukono, which includes Mukono, Buikwe, Kayunga and Buvuma, I am the only opposition MP, yet we are 15 legislators.

Instead of wasting all the energy on Mukono municipality, which is already a DP stronghold. Why doesn't Mao try other constituencies?" she asked.

Nambooze said even though she had decide not to defend her parliamentary seat at the age of 50, 70-year-old Kagimu is not the best candidate to succeed her.

Although Nambooze stayed away, many of her supporters took part in the Mukono distict DP elections, which Mao supervised.