The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kalungu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The loss suffered by Agriculture Minister Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja in the just-concluded parliamentary election has been attributed to intrigue, use of dishonest agents, and failures in the sector he led.
Ssempijja was seeking re-election for a third term as Member of Parliament for Kalungu East constituency. But he was defeated by the National Unity Platform-NUP candidate Francis Katabaazi Katongole, with a difference of 1,333 votes. His push for a recount was also discontinued by the Masaka Chief Magistrate’s court after it emerged that seals used to bolt some ballot boxes had been tampered with.
However, some National Resistance Movement-NRM mobilizers in Kalungu district say that besides the new NUP political wave, the Minister suffered recurrent weaknesses both at the individual and at party level that could hardly win him another term of office.
Yusuf Nsubuga, the NRM Chairperson for Mabuye parish in Bukulula sub-county says that the local NRM mobilization teams were also scattered by infighting and intrigue within the party circles and approached the general election with a sharply divided structure, part of which clandestinely worked with the opposition.
Nsubuga also faults Ssempijja for taking a backseat when he emerged unopposed from the party primaries. He says that while other NRM flagbearers sustained their momentum towards the general election, Ssempijja relaxed; giving an advantage to his competitor.
He equally blames the Minister for failing to ensure proper implementation of programs under his docket and surrendering the management of agricultural improvement programs to his closest associates, like personal Political Assistants, who instead misused them for selfish gain.
David Luyombo, the Chairperson of Kalungu District Persons with Disability Council and a prominent NRM mobilizer in the area, argues that the electorate might have cast a vote of no-confidence against the Minister for not meeting their expectations.
According to Luyombo, the gross mismanagement of the Agriculture Cluster Development Program-ACDP in Kalungu district was another big setback to Ssempijja’s political career, and somehow, facilitated his defeat. Kalungu District was among the districts selected to benefit from the Word Bank-funded Agriculture Cluster Development Program-ACDP, to improve on-farm productivity, production, and volumes of selected agricultural commodities.
Luyombo explains that while the community got excited about the project, it was overrun by speculators some of whom are known associates to the Minister, accumulating public anger that inevitably had to haunt him elections.
Vincent Mulungi, a voter in Lwebenge Sub-county also indicates that operations of the Fisheries Protection Unit-FPU that left scores of fishermen in the area brutalized also contributed to his loss, in addition to his attempt to compete with local nursery bed operators on public contracts to supply coffee seedlings to government.
While addressing his campaign agents during an elections review meeting held at his home at Lukaya Town Council, Minister Ssempijja attributed his political loss to tribalism and sectarianism that was openly promoted during the campaigns.
However, Aisha Ssekindi, the incumbent Woman MP for Kalungu district who retained her seat on the NRM ticket dismissed claims of tribalism, saying that electorate was passing a judgement basing on performance, indicating that the minister could have simply failed to pass the public test.
According to her, the Minister was detached from his voters and could rarely find time to listen and attend to their concerns, which prompted them to opt for a candidate who freely associated with them.
Before being elected as MP for Kalungu East constituency in 2011, Vincent Ssempijja served for ten years as L.CV chairperson for Masaka, where he had also earlier worked as Special District Administrator for the traditional Masaka district between 1993 to 98.
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