The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The National Resistance Movement (NRM) mobilisers in Mukono district have asked the party leaders not to attribute the party’s loss to Buganda.
Following the poor performance of the NRM in Kampala for Presidential and MP polls, President Museveni said in a televised national address that the voting had been sectarian.
On Friday, the Minister-in-charge of the Presidency Esther Mbayo added that the Buganda Kingdom and the Catholic Church have come out openly to de-campaign the government and support the opposition.
Mbayo said that the Katikkiro of Buganda told people to vote NUP’s red, by telling them to harvest red coffee and not the yellow or green ones.
However, mobilisers in Mukono have said that the party leaders should not to shy away from reality. They attribute the poor performance on disorganized party structures and greed among the party leaders.
Ronald Kiyaga one of the NRM coordinators says the party lacked funds to pay polling agents trusted with the responsibility of protecting the presidential votes.
“I am happy with the result, it shows those who are given money by the president to campaign, instead use it to build mansions. The President should give the main roles in the party to a younger generation of people, say of 30 years old, “Kiyaga told URN.
Some of the NRM MPs who lost in Mukono include Johnson Muyanja Ssenyonga who was defeated by Fred Kayondo of Democratic Party in Mukono South, Ronald Kibuule lost to Abdallah Kiwanuka of National Unity Platform in Mukono North, Robert Kafeero Ssekitoleko lost to Fred Ssimbwa (NUP) and Haniffer Nabukeera won Margret Nakavubu to replace Peace Kusasira for NRM on the position of District Woman MP. NRM also lost the LC5 seat to NUP.
Vincent Mugenyi another mobiliser accuses the top party leadership of priding in splashing money which is given to a few groups of people especially in the urban centers ignoring rural areas.
He said people were unhappy with their NRM coordinators who they accuse of diverting money meant for campaigns. He said voters cast their votes in protest.
“Look at our villages where we failed to even get 30 votes at various polling stations yet we have always had the system of knowing 30 registered party members per village. At lower levels, money caused the inner betrayal,” he said.
Ssekitoleko attributed the loss of the party to lack of will to address issues affecting the electorate. He cited lack of clean water, improved roads, employment for youths and proper health services.
Sseruga Lubega, the NRM Administrator at Mukono says that the loss should be a wakeup call for the party leaders. He, however, says that the party will bounce back strong and reclaim the lost seats in 2026.
“As politicians we have to be aware of the changes in society. Maybe we were busy handling national development and forgot the grassroots. What we are witnessing is a political wave, mainly populism,” he said.
****
URN
The results of the presidential and parliamentary elections are nothing but a clear demonstration of the POOR versus RICH. The NRM cadres have all dipped their mouths into the money looking at the rural and urban poor as hopeless people without position in society. They have been using these poor as ladder only, after getting their votes they go and hide in parliament and in mansions, fighting for money then they come and deceive Mr. Museveni that they are building the party at the grassroots. But now they have seen who write for them their appointment letters.
Unless the NRM begins to value these hopeless poor, they will vanish. How can the party sell all the factories they found in place but then they fail to erect a single one instead they decide to open fleets of universities to manufacture jobless youths then they still believe the majority poor can hold them in high esteem? They talk about free education which is not funded then they still believe the education still remains free? these are all imaginary free education and everything they talk about is imaginary. The so called investors are creating employment for their own nationals not Ugandans; Ugandan graduate are support staff in those firms! after their parents selling all the few assets they had to educate these children, receding the family to poverty yet they hoped these children would get job and money to replace these assets but only to find themselves trusting FOAM not milk! please, if the NRM wants to win the heart of the people they work for the people not for their own families.