Ms Rosemary Nansubuga Seninde, the National Resistance Movement (NRM)’s director of mobilisation, cadre identification, recruitment, and placement. Photo/File
Asked if she would throw her hat in the ring for the position of Wakiso District Woman Representative, Rosemary Nansubuga Seninde, the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM)’s director of mobilisation, cadre identification, recruitment, and placement, first responds with sarcastic laughter.
“I’m still waiting. There is still a lot of time,” Seninde says before chuckling once again. “I think it’s too early to say no or yes.”
Seninde’s indecision is a result of the shock she suffered in the 2021 General Election when the 20-year firm grip she had over the position of Wakiso DWR was ended by the so-called “umbrella wave” that catapulted National Unity Platform (NUP)’s Betty Ethel Naluyima into the seat by a difference of 208,620 votes.
By the time Seninde lost her seat to Naluyima, she was the junior Education Minister. In fact, Seninde’s loss made her part of the statistic of the ruling party’s ministers who were tossed out of Parliament by voters in Buganda Sub-region. Besides Seninde, the list included illustrious names such as then Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi, Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja, then Agriculture Minister; Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo, the Microfinance Minister at the time; inter-alia.
Surviving the tide
Seninde’s loss particularly stands out because she had managed to stave off previous waves from the time Wakiso was carved out of Mpigi District in 2000. The vast district, which encircles Kampala, has two counties: Busiro and Kyaddondo. It is here that Seninde and her NRM dominated for years.
The tide, however, changed at least at the presidential level in 2016 when Dr Kizza Besigye wrestled the district away from NRM’s eternal chairperson Museveni. The 2016 General Election was characterised by what was called the “blue wave,” in which mainly urban voters voted for candidates endorsed by the Opposition’s main party, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC). Yet still, Seninde polled 186,975 votes to hold off FDC’s Margaret Pauline Namagembe, who had 137,150 votes.
NRM’s dodgy 2016 record
Besides Seninde’s victory in 2016, the NRM had controversially won several constituencies in Wakiso. These included Nansana Municipality, won by Robert Kasule Sebunya, who was declared the victor by the High Court despite coming second in elections, which were won by Hannington Musoke Nsereko, popularly known as Wakayima. The latter was tossed out of Parliament on account of having discrepancies in his name. He was consequently classed as an unregistered voter.
Elsewhere, in Busiro South, NRM’s Peter Sematimba’s victory had been cancelled by the High Court on the account that he had no academic papers. In a twist, the Court of Appeal controversially reinstated Sematimba.
Enter Naluyima
Just like that, the Seninde era had ended with voters ushering in a Naluyima era. Although many claimed Naluyima was largely a new face brought by the “umbrella wave,” she doesn’t agree she was a political novice. And there is evidence to support this. Naluyima had long been grounded in Wakiso politics, and she was a councillor in the district, where she was tapped by the district chairperson Matia Lwanga Bwanika to be his vice chairperson.
All to play for
Outside of legislation, Naluyima prides herself on community initiatives such as Naffe Tusome (Let’s also get an education), which she says has aided many disadvantaged people in Wakiso receive an education.
Contenders
If Rosemary Seninde has been non-committal, then Rosemary Kirabira, the former Wakiso Resident District Commissioner, has been clear that she intends to stand in the NRM primaries for the seat. Kirabira, who is no longer chained by the responsibilities of public office, has already made posters and has been marketing her bid saying that during her term as RDC, she fought land grabbers.
Still within the NRM, Wakiso’s current RDC Justine Mbabazi is also said to be exploring the possibility to challenge for the Wakiso District Woman Representative in the party’s primaries. Again, Mbabazi’s selling point is going to be fighting land grabbers in the district that hosts many of Uganda’s middle-class families.
