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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Katikkiro of Buganda Kingdom, Charles Peter Mayiga has condemned voters pestering aspirants for money ahead of the 2021 general elections.
Currently, aspirants for various political seats are holding town hall meetings to convince voters in the ongoing party primary polls.
However, in the meetings, aspirants pay the participants between Shillings 5000 and 20,000 each disguised as transport refund or lunch allowances. Voters shun aspirants without money.
The Katikkiro will not have any of this.
While launching his tours to sensitize Buganda loyalists on coffee farming at Butuntumula sub county headquarters in Luweero district on Tuesday, Mayiga condemned voters who are seeking handouts from aspirants saying these won’t help them get out of poverty.
He encouraged residents to embrace coffee growing for wealth creation rather than engaging in begging money from aspirants.
According to Buganda kingdom officials, they have distributed over 10 million coffee seedlings to the subjects in the past two years to help get them out of poverty.
Ronald Mulondo, the Buganda Kingdom representative in Bulemeezi county told the Katikkiro that instead of people utilizing their land for farming, many people have resorted to selling it leaving them poor.
He cited Kamira, Zirobwe and Bamunanika sub counties where the price of land has shoot up as people from other areas dash there to buy land.
Erasto Kibirango, one of the aspirants for the Luweero LC V chairperson’s seat says the Covid-19 restrictions which forced them to hold town hall meetings have exposed them to huge expenses.
Kibirango says many who would be good leaders have opted out of politics because of increased demands for money.
Disan Kikabi, another aspirant for Luweero LC 5 chairperson seat says many of his colleagues have stopped campaigns over demands from voters.
Kikabi says that unlike the past campaigns, the current campaigns are costly since few voters are invited in meetings and they expect money in form of transport.
Phobe Namulindwa, an aspirant for Luweero Woman MP seat says she is overwhelmed with the financial requests but has made it clear to voters that she is unable to honor their demands.
Sam Kanyike, a resident of Kyevunze village says those begging money from aspirants are languishing in abject poverty and looking for survival.
Recently, the Electoral Commission-EC chairperson, Justice Simon Byabakama was quoted saying that commercialization of politics had distorted the democratic processes in the country.
He said the commercialisation of politics has not only led to the election of incapable leaders but it has also increased the costs of organising elections.
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