Rukungiri by-election: FDC, NRM dominate campaigns

Rukungiri. Nominations for Rukungiri Woman Member of Parliament by-election kicked off on Tuesday and are ending today.
At least seven people had picked nomination forms, indicating that they are likely to be nominated.
However, the district registrar, Mr Umar Kiyimba, said: “At times many candidates pick forms but few return them.”

Ms Betty Muzanira of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and Ms Winifred Masiko of the ruling NRM are those that have proved the toughest competition in the race.
Others are Ms Elizabeth Kyoshaba, Ms Sheila Atukunda Kirebete, Ms Fabith Kukundakwe, former Rukungiri Woman MP Prisca Sezi Mbaguta and Ms Elizabeth Rwakitonera.
Ms Muzanira, Ms Atukunda, Ms Mbaguta and Ms Kukundakwe were nominated yesterday.
Ms Masiko is scheduled to be nominated today at 10am, according to Mr Kiyimba.

According to the road map released by Electoral Commission (EC) recently, campaigns begin on May 4 and end on May 29 and voting will take place on May 31.
Yesterday, there was excitement in Rukungiri Town. Hundreds of boda boda cyclists, motorists and pedestrians donning FDC party colours were hooting and chanting relentlessly as Ms Muzanira went for nomination.
Rukungiri is home of founding FDC party president and four-time presidential candidate, Dr Kizza Besigye.

More than 95 per cent of Rukungiri Municipal Council political leaders, including the mayor and MP, are FDC members.
Dr Besigye, Kampala Lord Mayor Elias Lukwago, Kyadondo East MP Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi and Leader of Opposition in Parliament Winfred Kizza, among other Opposition politicians, travelled to Rukungiri on Tuesday and graced nomination of Ms Muzanira and her nomination rally at Rukungiri Stadium.
President Museveni was in the district on April 15 and donated to more than 100 groups more than Shs5 billion in money and items including motorcycles, omni buses, sewing machines, tents and chairs, garage equipment and motor vehicle spare parts.
Other items were carpentry machines, saucepans, double cabin pick up trucks and lorries.
Though the President said he was helping people to fight poverty, the donation has been interpreted by opposition as a bribe to sway voters to back NRM candidate in the by-election.

Invalidated
Surprisingly, at least 20 groups that received items and cash handouts have been found to be invalid after State House comptroller Lucy Nakyobe went back to verify the beneficiaries.
At the nomination rally for Ms Muzanira, more than 30 groups that benefited from President Museveni’s donation reportedly gave what they called ‘a tenth’ of the money to Dr Besigye “to support activities of the ‘Peoples’ Government.”
Dr Besigye said: “In Rukungiri, we are not looking for votes, we are only here to mobilise and re-empower our people to protect their vote because they had already voted their candidate.”

2016 elections
In 2016, the EC declared Ms Masiko winner of the election after polling 58,994 (51.69 per cent) against Ms Muzanira’s 54,966, (48.31 per cent).
Mr Kiyimba asked nominated candidates to wait for harmonisation of campaign schedules before they can hold campaign rallies.
Mr Roland Mugume Kaginda, the Rukungiri Municipality MP, heads Ms Muzanira’s campaigns while Maj Gen Jim Muhwezi, the former Rujumbura MP and NRM district chairperson leads the NRM side.
Rukungiri has population of 320,567 people, according to the 2014 National Population and Housing Census.
There are nine sub counties and three divisions, four town councils and 87 parishes. There are three constituencies of Rujumbura, Rubabo and Rukungiri Municipality.

Issues

The Court of Appeal on March 22 nullified election of Ms Masiko after she was found guilty of giving donations during the 2016 election campaigns where she was declared winner. Ms Muzanira, her rival, contested Ms Masiko’s victory and wanted recount of votes cast at some of the polling stations.
Her petition was dismissed by Kabale High Court before she appealed.

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