Mafias have stolen my victory - Minister Anite

POLITICS|ELECTIONS|DEFEAT

Investment state minister Evelyn Anite has conceded defeat after losing in the just concluded National Resistance Movement (NRM) primaries for 2021 parliamentary flag-bearers.

The 35-year-old minister lost the Koboko Municipality NRM ticket to the son of the former Speaker of Parliament, the late Francis Ayume.

Dr Charles Ayume, who worked with State House Health Monitoring Unit for over 15 years before wading into the murky waters of partisan politics in July, won by a margin of 768 votes.

"To the mafias and haters, I concede. You've won the battle by stealing my victory but the war rages on," the minister, who knelt on her knees on February 9, 2014 while moving a motion in the NRM parliamentary caucus, endorsing President Yoweri Museveni as the party's sole presidential candidate for the 2016 polls, tweeted Saturday.

She was then serving as Northern region Youth MP. In August last year, she told the media that there was a plan to remove her from the Uganda Telecom (UTL) saga and to end her life.

"The plan by the mafias is to take Anite out of the picture, I might die but history will judge them. You know the mafias, they are the ones who have been blocking the audit [into operations of UTL," Anite said.

She, however, vowed not to stop fighting to save UTL or exposing bad characters in government.

Early January the High Court appointed the former President of the Uganda Law Society Ruth Sebatindira as the new Administrator of UTL, replacing Bemanya Twebaze whose contract expired in November 2019.

This followed an application by the Uganda Contribution Employees Contributory Pension Scheme through their lawyers seeking orders compelling Twebaze to be removed from office and replaced with an eligible Insolvency Practitioner.

They faulted him for failing to collect the outstanding amounts due to UTL from the government and its departments in terms of the Deed of Administration and failure to find an investor to recapitalize and operate the Telecom.

Twebaze was also accused of failing to pay in full all claims against UTL within the Administration time and to conclude the Administration within the period stipulated.

Ayume's legacy

On Saturday, Charles dropped a hint to his social media followers that he tapped into the legacy of his late father as a campaign tool.

"Family, friends and supporters, all good things come from God. Today is a great day! Thank you for believing in me and the legacy of my father," he wrote on his @DrAyumeCharles twitter handle.

"You have spoken loud and clear. I am humbled by your trust in me. Thank you for a resounding victory," he added.

His father was Attorney General at the time of death in May 2004. He was killed in a gruesome road accident at a black spot on the Kampala-Gulu highway.

The crash occurred at the infamous Kyankonwa bend, renowned for fatal accidents. His death came hardly two months after that of foreign affairs minister James Wapakhabulo from whom he took over as speaker of the Sixth Parliament in 1998-2001.

So as expected, Charles rode a wave of sympathy arising from his father's death.

His father was also state minister in the President's office in 1998, lands and housing and physical planning minister from 1996-1998, a general manager Four Ways Group of companies from 1991-1994 and secretary of the Electoral Commission in 1985.

Other portfolios included; secretary in the office of the president in 1985, permanent secretary in the office of the prime minister from 1983-1985 and solicitor General from 1977-1981.