July 14th, as the country was set for the youth elections for the Sub County level, a team of NUP leaders in the Island District were moving to Bwendero, a township outskirt on Bugala Island.
Frustrated and frail, the team had been intercepted struggling to convince the NRM team to pick a paltry Ugx 100,000 each from them and shun voting of the sub county leaders.
The NUP team had terribly lost the village and parish level elections that had happened earlier.
Upon reaching Bwendero town, the team, led by the NUP Chairperson for mobilization in Kalangala Helen Nakimuli was recieved by a handful of about 28 people, from a town that has more than 2500 people.
Standing at central bodaboda stage in Bwendero town, the frustrated team sought for ideas of how to make a better encounter for greater visibility.
However, all was lost. Even at 8.30pm, the team had only resorted to meeting a foe at a shop in Bwendero town seeking solace, seemingly with no road to a better campaign.
Not just about that, the other side of the teams, in NRM were making strides for better counsel and leadership. A few days later, the NUP team camped at Kachanga landing site, creating rapport with a team of NUP supporters who thoughtfully were trying to mend fences with a group that had turned away from the party.
So was on Misonzi landing site and such at Nkese, Lukuba and Miyana landing sites. It was all a path deplorable hopes from a team that emerged triumphant in the 2021 elections where the NRM got only 27% of the total casted votes.
At the center, came the deliberation of tickets by the National Unity Platform to the District and Sub County leaders.
At first, tickets were delivered to candidates, seemingly opposed to those whom the leadership of NUP in Kalangala wanted.
For instance, Richard Katumba, the District Speaker had been awarded the party ticket to contest as the District Chairperson. Also, Nsubuga Gyaviira was awarded to become the Town Council Chairperson for Kalangala, a move that was opposed by the titular leaders of the party in Kalangala.
A relentless team, lead by the current District Chairperson (NUP) Rajab Ssemakula and the District Woman MP Helen Nakimuli opposed the move.
Nakimuli had earlier fronted Robert Munaaba for Chairperson. Her move was seconded by Ssemakula who has been at logger heads with Katumba as strides to govern the District reached turned into contestations between the two.
“Both Nakimuli and Ssemakula fought hard, pleading with Assistants to the titular leader at the National Unity Platform in Kampala to change the flag bearer. In the end, Katumba and ejected and Munaaba was brought into office. So was Gyaviira who was replaced by Ronald Lwanga as party flagbearer for Kalangala Town Council Chairperson,” a highly placed source with the NUP told this website.
*Why Nakimuli, Katumba turned foes*
Richard Katumba had built a strong political base. A base that had the current younger generation that looked at him as a role model. The current woman member of Parliament, Helen Nakimuli thought, she would easily amalgamate such support while undermining Katumba a position many leaders strongly detested.
“In the end, Katumba and his colleagues, also councilors including Jamba Ronald Lwere (Kalangala Town) were denied party tickets despite holding strong ground.
In a bid to further divide the team, the Mugoye Sub County councilor Herman Giribe a close friend to Katumba was awarded the ticket. In solidarity, Giribe rejected the move and chose to contest in a team that curtails not just civil liberties, but also one that undermines the interests of their party.
NUP also abandoned a number of their strongest followers and chose the most recent recruits in the party. For instance Ms. Namubiru Margaret, who contested in Kyamuswa Sub County was awarded the NUP ticket abandoning three long serving party mobilizers to become the area councilor.
This teamed up with continued infighting within the party and the bossy like mindset of their leaders further disregarded the intent of the party’s role in Kalangala’s leadership agenda.
“We are not tools to just be used. We want to make meaningful change in governance and, our leaders in the party chose handpicking, instead of letting democracy thrive. It’s the same reason many of our team members jumped ship and chose to support other candidates. It is the same reason why people like Fred Kintu Ssemaala chose not to contest,” says one of the party leaders in Kalangala.
Currently, statistics indicate, the NRM party has mobilized from grassroots, with its candidates Willy Lugoloobi leading the polls in Bujumba County. Ms. Carolyn Nanyondo is leading polls in Kyamuswa while Nakimuli’s support has dropped to a paltry 41% as the Kalangala District Woman MP.
On Sunday September 21st, a team of Buganda ku Museveni Members of Parliament and Ministers, led by the Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka and the Buganda Region NRM CEC member Kyeyune Haruna Kasolo visited Kalangala to further advance support for President Yoweri Museveni, the NRM Candidate and the NRM Flag bearers in Kalangala.
After more than 12 years, Kibanga Play Ground was filled to Capacity, with several Islanders pledging support to the NRM flag bearers and the President.
The party also boasted of having already 9 elected councilors on the NRM ticket further advancing willingness of the island residents to return to NRM, a party that for long has been wining all seats in Kalangala, save for 2021.
The Attorney General, Mr. Kiryowa Kiwanuka and Minister Kasolo also asked Islanders to further negotiate with government with support for the ruling party as it advances more services to Kalangala, including the provision of a major tarmac 66 kilometer road that has already been contracted by Power China and the provision of ferry services to the Outlying Islands of Kalangala.
Such hard work from the NRM candidates and it’s leaders and continued indiscipline of a number of NUP leaders has seen the further change of Guard from the NUP leadership in the Island District.
“On Sunday morning, we arrested one of the NUP flag bearers in Kalangala after he threw a bottle to an NRM supporter in a bar. It is not the first time he had been arrested and we pray he faces justice,” said Elly Ntege Wasajja, the NRM spokesperson in Kalangala.
