Will ANT's Karuhanga survive in NRM's backyard?

Ntungamo Municipality MP Gerald Karuhanga first joined Parliament in 2011 as Western Youth MP after defeating National Resistance Movement's (NRM) Dr Aggrey Kyobuguzi, with only four votes.

In 2016, the former Makerere University guild president, who is described by people of Ntungamo as a "man of luck", contested for the Ntungamo Municipality seat on an independent ticket and won.

Yet, despite his ‘political hand of God', this time around, voters say, the ground has been complicated by two things: his crossing to Maj. Gen.

Mugisha Muntu's party — Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) and the entrance into the race of a former Special Forces Command (SFC) soldier, Lt (rtd) Mugisha Babyomera aka Magufuli.

"I have come due to people's demand and I am ready to serve them," Magufuli told New Vision, describing his contest against Karuhanga as a "sure win".

Babyomera, 35, is nicknamed Magufuli for his reforms, especially in agriculture, which farmers say is akin to Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli's reforms when he had just taken power.

The battle to remove Karuhanga, 38, the son of Ntungamo Municipality mayor Jacob Kafureka, has also attracted over six contenders.

These include Magufuli, Edward Beyendeza-Bekunda, 54, a Kampala businessman; Sailous Mutebwa Buringa, 33, the son of former Uganda People's Congress strongman Francis Buringa; Agnes Ninsiima-Kaana, 25; Salim Asiimwe Bigyega, 30; former Ntungamo Municipality MP Yona Musinguzi and Hilary Ampereza, 30, a bodaboda cyclist, who many voters say represents the common person in the race.

Benon Nuwagira Ntendere, the Ntungamo district chairperson of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), has also joined the race to oust Karuhanga, a man who in the previous elections was considered as FDC-leaning.

Asked about what he makes of the emerging competition, Karuhanga said he was not worried.

"The people of Ntungamo Municipality still trust me," he said, adding that his recent decision to joint ANT is not a problem as many view it.

"People want service delivery not a political party," he added.

In the 2016 polls, Karuhanga defeated Musinguzi, who was fronted by the NRM with 909 votes.

Musinguzi garnered 2,375 votes (40.88%), Karuhanga polled 3,284 votes (56.52%) and the third candidate, Bosco Tumwesigye Simba, who was the flag-bearer for Beti Kamya's party, Uganda Federal Alliance, got 151 votes (2.6%).

Ntungamo Municipality is the smallest constituency within the district with 9,233 registered voters from the population of about 15,300, according to the 2014 population census report. It has three divisions: western, eastern and central, with about 26 villages.

Lobbying for the municipality is what several voters say the next MP should do. This lobbying, according to Karuhanga, is what has kept him busy in Parliament during his tenure.

"The town now has street lights, access roads are paved, water and electricity have been extended to every division and several empowerment projects for youth, women and people with disabilities have been rolled out. I have lobbied for my people," Karuhanga said.

However, some voters say it is time up for Karuhanga.

"Ntungamo is an NRM stronghold and, therefore, I want to reclaim the seat from the Opposition," Beyendeza, one of the contenders, said.

Cyclist joins race

Ampereza, a renowned bodaboda cyclist in Ntungamo Municipality, recently announced his plans to unseat Karuhanga. From a humble beginning, he rode bodaboda and sponsored his education. He recently graduated from Makerere University Business School.

Other contenders

Beyendeza is a prominent businessman in Kampala dealing in real estate. A former bursar and head of finance at the Uganda Management Institute, Beyendeza was recently nominated by NRM.

Lt Babyomera is a retired soldier who has been working with the Office of the President as a procurement officer for western region under the Operation Wealth Creation (OWC).

Buringa is a son to the late UPC strongman in Ntungamo, Francis. He says he will contest as an independent because UPC has lost political steam in the area.

Ninsiima-Kaana, 25, is the youngest contender in the race. She recently graduated from Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) with a bachelor's degree of accounting and finance. She was recently nominated by NRM.

Bigyega, a former employee of the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority, is a grandson of Haji Bigyega, one of the pioneers in the Ntungamo Municipality politics.

Musinguzi is the former Ntungamo Municipality MP. He is also a former councillor at Kampala Capital City Authority. A son of prominent Ntungamo leader Selenzio Bikwatsizehi, he represented Nakawa division at KCCA on an FDC ticket before crossing to NRM in 2010.

What people say

Nelson Tambobusasi (councillor)

What we want is a leader who is focused to serve the people regardless of party affiliation.

Asiime Rutahweire (Ntungamo district NRM vice-chairperson)

President Yoweri Museveni, who is also the NRM chairperson and his wife Janet Museveni were born in Ntungamo. How can the area then be represented by an opposition MP. We are going to uproot the ANT legislator from the municipality.

Coleb Namanya (farmer)

We want a leader who fights corruption like Karuhanga. Ntungamo already has a tested leader, so why do we need to change?

John Bamutonda (teacher)

We need someone who can be a bridge between Ntungamo Municipality and the central government. We want an MP who is so close to the top leadership and pro-NRM. The current MP does not sit in the NRM caucus of Parliament and this affects Ntungamo.