2021 polls easy ride for NRM, says Kiwanda

The state minister of tourism, Godfrey Kiwanda, has projected 2021 polls to be an easy ride for the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).

Speaking to journalists at the Uganda Journalists Associations (UJA) offices in Kawempe division on Tuesday, Kiwanda, who also doubles as the NRM central region vice-chairperson, said unlike in the previous elections, the ruling party stands higher chancesof retaining power due to a cocktail of candidates fronted by the Opposition on every elective position against their sole candidates.

"The Opposition has given us an easy ride than ever before because they have at least five candidates on each position against an NRM flagbearer.

"We have embarked on the process of reaching out to all NRM-leaning independent candidates to withdraw from the race for the good of our party. We have already registered some progress," Kiwanda said.

Asked whether they are not scared by the current wave of opposition headed by singer and Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine, Kiwanda said the Opposition is incapable of taking power.

"What we have is a swing of opposition from Dr Kizza Besigye to Bobi Wine. I see the same faces of Betty Nambooze, Medard Sseggona and Mathias Mpuuga, among others, who are looking for political survival behind Bobi Wine," he argued.

Kiwanda, who is also the incumbent Mityana North MP, rallied Ugandans who believe in their sovereignty to embrace the ruling party, saying it is the practical ‘people power' political party. The ‘people power' slogan is associated with supporters of the National Unity Platform (NUP) party headed by Bobi Wine.

Asked why majority of the aspirants who lost in the party primaries are running as independents, Kiwanda blamed it on ideological bankruptcy among some party members.

"For example in Kayunga district, the race was between the daughter of party district chairman Moses Karangwa and another aspirant. So selfish interests were inevitable. Karangwa had to push for his daughter to go through. I think we need to amend our party constitution to discourage party leaders from taking sides, even when their relatives are standing for elective offices," Kiwanda said.

He also attacked Haji Abdul Nadduli for discrediting the party primaries yet he is a member of NRM's central executive committee (CEC).

Nadduli's son participated in the primaries, but lost in a manner which he described as fraudulent.

"Nadduli cannot discredit the manner in which the party primaries were conducted yet he is a member of the CEC. If there was any weakness in the process, he is part of it and cannot run away from it," Kiwanda said.

Kiwanda urged journalists to be balanced while doing their work during this political season. He said the media is key in the progress of the country.