Former Minister Kibuule, NUP’s Mulimamayuuni in Silent Constituency Fights as he Roots for Political Comeback

The political temperatures in Mukono North constituency in Mukono district are currently gaining momentum. What is surprising is the fact that according to what has of recent been happening in the constituency, it makes one think that the 2026 campaigns were flagged off already, yet in the actual sense, they are still left with over two years.

Having lost the constituency to the opposition’s Abdallah Kiwanuka Mulimamayuuni of National Unity Platform (NUP), the former State Minister for Water, Ronald Kibuule believes it came just because of the political wave but not that he had lost popularity or out of poor performance.

Kibuule is therefore building on his past political capital as he forges a comeback which he believes will be as easy as drinking a glass of water!

Basing on the 2021 polls, Kibuule of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) raised only 8,568 votes against Kiwanuka’s 18,680 votes.

Of late, both Kibuule and Kiwanuka are camped in the constituency responding to the community outcries, something which has already made the duo to collide on some of the events.

The first incident happened at Kanikwa village in Nama sub-county when the transformer serving the area and the surroundings developed a technical problem putting the locals in total darkness.

Kibuule alleges that a number of senior citizens from the village approached him asking for his intervention to put UMEME at a task to respond to their transformer problem early enough saying other leaders had kept deaf ears to their outcries.

The former Minister says that he used his circles and managed to secure a transformer from UMEME. Unfortunately, it is alleged that as the locals welcomed Kibuule with UMEME officials who had taken the transformer, also Kiwanuka turned up for the event, something which left the two camps in collusion.

Kibuule said that Kiwanuka had not known how he had worked out to secure a transformer which he again wanted to capitalize on.

“If a current member of parliament cannot help his constituents get out of such challenges, he should just enjoy his peace and let us who knows how to solve such problems enjoy the space. It’s not procedurally right to ride on what he has not done,” said Kibuule at one of the functions held at Katoogo village in Nama sub-county recently.

However, during a phone interview, Kiwanuka told our reporter that he had equally lobbied UMEME for a transformer after being called upon by the locals.

“Because I had pestered UMEME manager for the transformer, he (manager) called and informed me of the program to take the transformer and have it fixed back. As the area MP, I had no reason to sit back as my people were suffering,” he said adding;

“By all means, I had all the authority to turn up for that event, unlike Kibuule, who is the former MP, who is not in any way mandated to respond to the challenges of the community as he works out for a political come back. I am surprised that Kibuule is so active today than when he was the MP for the same constituency for the10 years he had in parliament!”

Richard Kawagga, an eye witness said that the two political giants turned up with supporters and they confronted each other.

Kawagga added that Kiwanuka was almost beaten as the day closed and he was only saved by Kibuule’s security team that did not accept him to be beaten at their watch.

The second interface was at Katoogo village at the climax of the insecurity that included killing of bodaboda riders and stealing of their motorcycles that resulted to the residents to involve into mob-justice, killing five of the suspected thieves.

Police at this note responded arresting at least 30 community members whom they suspected to have involved themselves into the mob justice. Among the arrested were the local leaders like the village chairpersons and councilors, something which caused a lot of mayhem, as members looked for the way out as police and other security circles continued hunting for the members involved.

It is alleged that the locals petitioned Kibuule who also invited the Minister of Internal Affairs, Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire to help them rescue the situation.

On this function which was much dominated by Kibuule’s camp, Kiwanuka turned up and he was so much embarrassed. He merely missed the chance to speak as the MC for the function, Haji Azed Kiziri had skipped him to invite Kibuule to called Gen. Otafiire. However, Kibuule granted him the chance to speak but all the same, the public address system was regularly switched off as he was speaking, making coutless allegations against his rival (Kibuule).

After Gen. Otafiire’s address, Kibuule jumped on the microphone to give vote of thanks, he used this opportunity to respond to Kiwanuka saying he was always running after him, turning up on events which does not concern him.

“Anti baagala nnyo okulippira boda, abalippira boda ebyo bye balaba,” he said.

Kiwanuka however said that he had also called for a security meeting at the same venue a week ago and invited to Division Police Commander, Edrisa Kyeyune, the Division Crime Investigating Officer and the Resident District Commissioner, Hajjat Fatuma Ndisaba Nabitaka but they declined to turn up yet when Kibuule invited them, they all turned up apart from the RDC.

He said that given the fact that it is in his constituency where the Minister was visiting, he was mandated to attend and welcome his colleague with whom they sit in parliament.

Kiwanuka says that he has responded very well to the demands of his constituents that ranges between land grabbing, continuous accidents on the casual workers that work in the factories at Mbalala industrial zone, insecurity, unemployment among others.

He also said that unlike his predecessor who rarely said a word on the floor of parliament, he has done the legislation work so well adding that he ranks among the best legislators of this term.

For land grabbing, Kiwanuka says that as a qualified senior lawyer, he has guided well his people who ran to him as their land is being grabbed by the grabbers whom he accuses that some of those have backup of the political leaders in the area and of the ruling NRM party.

“I have helped some to get some peace after my intervention and calling on police to help. For others I have helped to open up court cases which are on-going,” he says.

He adds that he has bought motorcycles for a number of bodaboda stages as a way of enabling them to earn from them and start saving schemes that can help them boost their earnings.

Kiwanuka says that as a member of the district roads committee, he has worked so hard to have a number of roads in the constituency which were impassable worked upon.

“Unlike what used to be the case with my predecessor, I am always responding to the financial assistance for religious leaders to either fund a number of church or mosque building projects or other functions and I am in good working relationships with all the religious leaders in my constituency,” he noted.

Some of the voters are however regretting having voted out Kibuule whom they knew his residence where they used to go whenever they got challenges and ask for help, saying that Kiwanuka does not reside in the constituency, one of the reasons which is making him unavailable when called upon and needed.

Wilberforce Kato, a resident of Kisowera says that they used to see Kibuule almost on every weekends at least as he passed by going to different destinations in the constituency but for Kiwanuka, he is not available at all.

“We went through a lot of pain to have Kiwanuka get into power including some of us who were beaten and sustained injuries plus those who were kidnapped, but what we thought would come with the new MP has not yet been achieved,” said Kato.

However, when asked about his unavaialability and not owning a home in the constituency, Kiwanuka said that was a baseless allegation because he officially resides at Buntaba village in Ddundu parish, Kyampisi sub-county and that he is ever on the ground responding to the needs of the voters.

He also says that for the 10 years Kibuule was in parliament, he failed to at least buy an ambulance for his constituency, something which he did in his first year, after assessment from which he realized that there was need for it.

Margaret Nakayenga, one of Kibuule’s coordinators in the constituency said that they achieved a lot of things during Kibuule’s reign which they are yet to yield from the current MP.

Villages got connected to piped water at the expense of Kibuule, also electricity and lobbying for a number of services like government schools, health facilities, among others.

“He also funded women community groups with money that helped many get out of poverty but our current MP is hardly available when we invite him,” she said.

Kibuule personally boosts of having solved the challenge of unemployment in his constituency as he highly worked for the development of an industrial area at Mbalala in Nama sub-county and others in Kyampisi sub-county as he personally invited the investors to start the factories in his constituency, something which also increased the revenue base not only for the said two sub-counties but also the district and country at large.

For over four years back, Kibuule said that the factories only at Mbalala had created 50,000 employment opportunities. That means that as the factories have just increased over the time, the employment opportunities must have doubled.

According to Andrew Ssenyonga, the former Mukono district chairperson, a big number of workers in these factories are just imported into the district just because the area youth undermine the available casual employment opportunities.

Ssenyonga however said that the areas where these factories were built have registered much development as people who built rental houses and others with retail businesses are earning highly from the workers of the factories in their different localities.

Ssenyonga also said that the district recovers huge sums of money from these factories in terms of taxes yet some of them also help in responding to some of the community challenges in form of corporate social responsibilities.

The residents also said that during Kibuule’s reign, he used to give back to the communities in a number of ways like organizing health camps where they used to get free treatment and also giving them items like mattresses, edible materials which are no longer available.

Other candidates warming up

Kenneth Nsubuga Ssebagayunga previously contested with Kibuule in 2016 right from the NRM party primaries and also went ahead to contest on an independent ticket and lost just by a difference of 400 votes.

Nsubuga says that in 2021, he was asked by the party members and leaders who included its national chairperson, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to leave the race for Kibuule, something which he adhered to following the promise to help him go to the East African Parliament which was not done in return.

For many of the voters in the constituency, they were so annoyed by Nsubuga’s decision to withdraw from the race and they are saying that he was bought by Kibuule.

However, Nsubuga says that those are unfounded rumors, adding that his legacy is well known and that he cannot be bought as it is alleged.

“What is surprising is the fact that those alleging that I was bought and they are so annoyed of me, had never supported me and they are saying that with hidden reasons,” he said.

Following what transpired between him and the party, Nsubuga decided to abandon NRM for Democratic Party. He is however so optimistic that even when DP is no longer impacted in the district district politics, having been overtaken by NUP, he will personally use his political capital to make the party viable at the grass root level in the constituency and the district at large.

He says that unlike the incumbent and his predecessor who are at this early stage engaged into silent fights on the ground, he is freely doing ground work and that his impact will be felt come 2026.

Just like Kiwanuka, Nsubuga is also a senior lawyer who has been in that business for quite some time. He resides at Kabembe in Kyampisi sub-county.

Isaac Drasi, a resident of Canaan Site Estate at Kituba village in Nama sub-county was among the contestants who were in the race in 2021 and he garnered 278 votes, standing in the third position. Drasi is a science teacher by profession. He is also on the ground popularizing his candidature come 2026.

From the past experience during the 2021 campaigns, the constituency registered the most violent campaigns in the district which involved fighting between supporters from both camps and the alleged kidnap and torture of opposition supporters by the security operatives. Kiwanuka accused Kibuule and the ruling government of kidnaping his (NUP) supporters and torturing them.

“Some of them would be kept in safe houses for some time, tortured and later be released when nursing wounds. At least out of the 18 NUP supporters who are still missing, two of them, Muhammad Kanatta of Walusubi village in Nama sub-county and Yuda Ssempijja of Kabembe village in Kyampisi sub-county are from my constituency,” he said.

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