Independents threaten NUP vote in Kampala

POLITICS | ELECTIONS

As Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine prepares to challenge President Yoweri Museveni in the 2021 elections, the main issue that is expected to stand out is the power struggles between NUP flag-bearers and the party members who were not selected during the vetting process but have opted to run for Parliament as independents.

NUP leaders and analysts say the only complexity their decisions to contest as independents may introduce is the prospect of undermining the official NUP party candidates by attracting support which should have gone to them in their absence.

"We want as much as possible to discourage independents because they have the potential to split the vote and that is why we are reaching out to them to be able to have this conversation," NUP spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi told New Vision.

And in the event that no one is willing to step down for flag-bearers, Ssenyonyi said: "We have the stick but before we pull it out to discipline them, we want to first sit and have a conversation with them because they are our members."

Over seven seasoned opposition politicians were dropped during the selection of NUP flag-bearers for the 2021 parliamentary elections in Kampala.

They include Michael Mabikke, the two-time former Makindye East MP; Samuel Lubega Mukaaku, a former presidential candidate; Kenneth Paul Kakande, the former Democratic Party (DP) spokesperson; and Sulaiman Kidandala, the former deputy Lord Mayor and formerly DP organising secretary.

Others are Moses Kasibante, the current Rubaga North MP and his Makindye-Ssabagabo Municipality counterpart, Emmanuel Ssempela Kigozi Ssajjalyabene.

All of them, save for Kasibante, were among DP bloc members who did all it took to depict Bobi Wine as the de facto Opposition leader in anticipation of his backing in the parliamentary election.

So, when they officially crossed over to NUP in August, they expected automatic party endorsement because of this and their current positions, academic qualifications and political experience.

However, NUP, led by Bobi Wine, the self-styled "ghetto president", instead endorsed fresh-faced candidates who are viewed as more loyal to the party.

These include Jeol Ssenyonyi, the 32-year-old former TV news anchor, and Derrick Nyeko, the 28-year-old youth councillor for Makindye Division, who defected from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).

Ssenyonyi was picked over Kakande for the race in the newly-created Nakawa West constituency, while Nyeko took the NUP flag for Makindye East where Mabikke is an interested party.

Those who were dropped have since cried foul, questioning the rationale of the endorsement procedure by NUP's executive committee.

They have vowed to contest as NUP-leaning independent candidates in 2021 and have pledged to back Bobi Wine's presidential bid.

Medard Sseggona, the NUP flag-bearer in Busiro East MP, said Bobi Wine will choose the best candidate to campaign for in 2021 polls.

"We are not slaves of our parties; we apply logic and reason as well as principle. This issue of NUP-leaning independents should be handled amicably. They
should talk to some people to leave for the others and in the event that no one is willing, the right to stand as independent is reserved in the Constitution," Sseggona said.

ANALYSTS WEIGH IN

Analysts such as Dr Frederick Golooba-Mutebi say it was never going to be possible for the NUP or Bobi Wine himself to back everyone to stand for whatever position they wanted.

"Where there are multiple individuals vying for one position, only one of them can win. This is a fact of life," he said.

Dr Tabitha Mulyampiti from Makerere University School of Women and Gender Studies says what is happening to Bobi Wine and NUP with regard to the mass flow of "allies", especially from DP, is what she would call "political opportunism".

"These political opportunists have insisted that they will not leave NUP (the political party) pretending to translate it as People Power (the movement). They are deliberately mixing up NUP and People Power for their personal gains.

"Even Bobi Wine at the moment is quite incapable of strategically drawing the line between the political party and the People Power movement," Mulyampiti said.

She said some of the people who were denied the opportunity to carry the flag were actually strong in their constituencies, in which case NUP may stand to lose.

"It is easier for older parties like NRM to enjoy the continued support and allegiance of their independent candidates, but this cannot be guaranteed for NUP," Mulyampiti said.

WHAT LOSERS SAY

Kidandala, who lost the flag race to Kawempe Division lord councillor Muhammad Ssegirinya for Kawempe North, told New Vision that NUP is a young institution carrying a heavy load of organising election campaigns for presidential, parliamentary and local council candidates across the country.

"It (NUP) is only three months old. So there are likely to be some gaps here and there, but the overall picture is that everyone still maintains that they are NUP-leaning candidates. So at the end of the day, everything comes back to the same pool — NUP," he said.

Kidandala poured cold water on the opinion that they are likely to split the NUP vote, especially in Kampala where their party appears to have gained momentum.

"That is not going to happen because I know the voting pattern, for instance, in Kawempe North, where I have been active for the last 20 years. We remain a family because we are all in the process of building a young party to become strong," he argued.

On if NUP decided to discipline him and others for standing against the party flag-bearers, Kidandala said: "I will cross that bridge when I get there, but there is no need for taking disciplinary action because we are all working for the same institution. If in 2021 they decide to de-campaign me, I will not have any problem with that but for me I am going to be campaigning for Kyagulanyi for president and other party candidates everywhere."

Kasibante, the two-time MP who lost the ticket battle to Abubaker Kawalya, the current Rubaga Division councillor and Kampala Capital City Authority speaker, said he still believes that he is the best for the people of Rubaga North.

"I welcome the talks to put our house in order, but I still maintain that even within NUP, I could still score higher than any other competitor. So NUP leaders should consider that and see to it that Kawalya steps down for me. I have been standing as independent and defeating my opponents, including Beti Kamya, who is now the NRM flag-bearer," Kasibante said.

"I have not left NUP. I am still working with the party structures in the constituency to ensure we win in 2021 polls. And also, my services to the people and my clear record as a defender of human rights have not been disputed. The voice of Rubaga North is loud in Parliament," he said.