NRM woos more opposition supporters

Just five months to the 2021 polls, switching of political allegiance is now in play.

A group of over 200 youth who claimed to be mobilisers of the National Unity Platform (NUP) in Kampala converged at Nakasero Primary School and announced their defection to the National Resistance Movement (NRM). "We are ready to serve the NRM," group leader Frank Ssenyonjo said.

Ssenyonjo who claimed to be the lead mobiliser of People Power/NUP in Kisekka Market added: "We have served several opposition groups, including the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), the Democratic Party (DP) and People Power, but they have done nothing for us."

HIGH YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT

He told senior presidential advisor on NRM archives Alice Kaboyo, who received them, that their grievance with the Government has been the high rate of unemployment among the youth. "We neither have jobs nor the capital to start our own income-generating projects," Ssenyonjo said as he appealed for government support.

He said some of them are mechanics, welders, bodaboda riders and hawkers, who can easily be supported through the different government programmes.

Rashid Mabuye, one of the youth, said: "We are going to form a campaign team for NRM in Kampala Central to ensure that Museveni and other NRM candidates win."

William Ssentamu, another youth, said: "I have decided to join the NRM to work for real development. We behaved like jokers while playing politics of non-issues in the Opposition."

Kaboyo thanked the group's leaders for reaching out to her. She said her office had embarked on a campaign to sensitise the youth across the country to properly align them with the NRM ideology, which is paramount for them to benefit in its programmes.

State House head of political mobilisation Robert Rwakandari told the group that they were "in the right hands". "What I want to ask you is, be organised so that the Government can help you," he added. Rwakandari said the youth would be the force the party will use to mobilise for votes.

NRM Kampala chief mobiliser Martin Matsiko said: "Power is in your hands to change Kampala to become yellow. Let us leave this place transformed and mean what you say." However, NUP spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi rubbished the group as mere survivors in politics. "We do not know these people and they are not in our party structures. They did not even have the party cards or T-shirts," he said.

He said because of poverty due to the high rate of unemployment among the youth, some have resorted to tactics of survival in politics.