It’s a three-horse race for Sheema Municipality seat

In 2018, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Elioda Tumwesigye, who had been the Member of Parliament for Sheema North constituency since 2001, decided to contest in the newly created Sheema Municipality.

The municipality, an offshoot of Sheema North, is smaller and has more elite voters and is, therefore, considered easy to campaign in compared to Sheema North.

While some people, including those in the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, interpreted Dr Tumwesigye’s move as an act of selfishness, he argued that he was trying to save the new constituency from being taken over by the Opposition.

Dr Tumwesigye, who was also Sheema District’s NRM chairman, won the June 4, 2018 NRM party primaries for Sheema Municipality where he competed with seven other candidates who include Mr Raymond Kamugisha, Mr Jonathan Bingonzya, Mr Jonas Tumwiine, Mr Geoffrey Mucunguzi, Mr Polly Kataate Nkwatsibwe, Mr Joseph Mwebesa, and Mr Jonathan Bagonza.

After winning, Dr Tumwesigye relinquished the Sheema North seat that was later taken over by Ms Naome Kibaaju, formerly an employee of the Ministry of Defence, in the October 8 (2018) by-election.

Dr Tumwesigye went on to win the July 27 (2018) election for Sheema Municipality beating FDC’s Ms Plan Virginia Mugyenyi and five other Independent candidates who include Mr Benjamin Ruyombya, Mr Ambrose Black Man Mwesigye, Mr Jonas Tumwiine, Mr Meshach Katusiime, and Mr Raymond Kamugisha.

Though Dr Tumwesigye won the election with 13,590 votes, Ms Mugyenyi, who got 11,489 votes, proved to be a formidable challenger.

She even went to court seeking nullification of Dr Tumwesigye’s victory saying he bribed voters and there was ballot stuffing.

The High Court in Mbarara, however, upheld Dr Tumwesigye’s victory, saying the petitioner failed to give substantial evidence to back up her claims.

Two-and-a-half years later, Dr Tumwesigye is again involved in a fierce political battle with Ms Mugyenyi.

Dr Tumwesigye is contesting on an Independent ticket after losing the NRM party primaries in August 2020 to Mr Dickson Kateshumbwa.

Mr Kateshumbwa got 22,817 votes while Tumwesigye got 15,388 votes.

Former Permanent Secretary Ministry of Local Government Patrick Mutabwire Kyamukaate and Mr David Kamukama were also candidates in the ruling party election.

Mr Tumwesigye took a petition to the NRM election Tribunal after losing citing unfairness in the primary election exercise.

He said when President Museveni said all people should vote as long as they are known by LCI chairpersons, some candidates ferried voters from Kampala City, Mbarara, and Kamwenge districts to go and vote in Sheema Municipality.

However, the tribunal turned down his petition and asked him to rally behind Mr Kateshumbwa but he decided to stand as an Independent .

“I want to give the people of Sheema Municipality a chance to correct their past mistakes (made during NRM primary election) so that in future they do not regret, and I want to move with them so that we can create the Sheema Municipality we are dreaming of,” Dr Tumwesigye said.

He said he will embark on creating employment opportunities for the youth by enabling the establishment of industries now that an Industrial Park was established at Rushere in Kitojo ward.

“The main problem we are facing in Sheema Municipality and Uganda generally is unemployment but I have the medicine for it. Through my ministry, we will bring more factories and these will create more employment,” Dr Tumwesigye said.

According to Dr Tumwesigye, he has championed development projects such as Integrated Community Based Initiatives (ICOBI) and Bushenyi Medical Center, at in Sheema Municipality with a branch in Bushenyi Municipality.

“I started these project of helping people when I had not joined politics so they will continue operating, whether they vote me to Parliament or not,” Dr Tumwesigye said.

Dr Tumwesigye said he has in the past two years of serving as Sheema Municipality MP lobbied government to establish two health centre IIIs of Kutoojo and Kashoozi. The facilities are about to be opened for use.

Dr Tumwesigye is also part of the team that founded Ankole Western University and continue to support it.

“I have done a lot during my time as a Member of Parliament for Sheema North and Municipality and all these projects need to be sustained and we bring many more. If the people of Sheema Municipality can vote me

for the next five years Sheema will change dramatically because we have a lot to offer,” says Dr Tumwesigye.

Mr Dickson Kateshumbwa

Mr Kateshumbwa, 43, has worked at Uganda Revenue Authority for 14 years.

The NRM flag bearer won told people of Sheema Municipality that he will ensure that electricity reaches to all parts of the constituency and will work on all roads.

“I am hare as a liberator of people of Sheema Municipality; I intend to do for them what they have been crying to get like roads and electricity. This is a new municipality that needs leaders who are focused and able to lobby and I think am best at that,” says Mr Kateshumbwa.

Mr Kateshumba, the new face in the Sheema political arena, distributed food items; posho and rice to the constituents during the Covid-19 induced lockdown.

He has, together Sheema Development Association members, supported Kabwohe Health Centre IV with surgical bed.

“I have worked with other people of Sheema who want development like Sheema Development Association members to equip some health centre and we will continue to do that for the development of our municipality and the district at large,” Mr Kateshumbwa said.

He served as a Commissioner for Domestic Customs among other positions before he resigned last year.

He went to Nganwa High School for O-Level and Ntare School for A-Level.

He studied Bachelor of Commerce at Delhi University in India and did Master’s Degree in Business Administration (Finance) in Sikkim Manipal University in India.

Ms Plan Virginia Mugyenyi

However, Ms Mugyenyi says she is confident she will win the election this time.

“In the last elections, there was a lot of government force against me but now it will not be the same. People of Sheema have learnt from the past mistakes I’m very optimistic I will win this election,” Ms Mugyenyi said.

Ms Mugyenyi wants to lobby for improvement in education services and roads in the area.

She says she recently secured land to build a resource centre that will help in developing skills of young and women in the constituency.

“This way I will be creating employment opportunities and equipping constituents to find gainful employment,” Ms Mugyenyi said.

Ms Mugyenyi also said she is setting up a hospital on Masheruka Road as one of the interventions to improve health services in the area.

She has organised a medical camp in Kashoozi Division where more than 400 people were treated and bought an ambulance to Sheema Municipality to help expectant mothers to get to health centre and other facilities like Kitagata Hospital and Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital.

Ms Mugyenyi is married to Dr Posiano Mugyenyi, a longtime political nemesis of Lt. Col. (Rtd) Bright Rwamirama in Isingiro North constituency.

Mr Moses Mulindwa

Mr Moses Mulindwa, 23, another contestant in the race, said: “You know agriculture is the back bone of our economy and it’s doing badly; it is limping so my plan is to revamp the agriculture sector in Sheema Municipality once am elected into parliament.”

Mr Mulindwa, who is contesting as an Independent, has a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resource Management from Makerere Business School.

He went to Kashoozi Boarding Primary School in Bushenyi, Nalya Secondary School for O-Level and St. Mary’s Kitende for A-Level.

He has been running a project that teaches farmers agro forestry and bee keeping as some of the sustainable solutions to environmental challenges.

Mr Jafari Kijuju

Mr Jafari Kijuju , 26, is also in the race for Sheema Municipality.

The National Unity Platform (NUP) party candidate has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Kampala International University.

He has been working at Mpoma Royal College School found in Mukono District. He says he wants to create employment opportunities especially for youth, and improve the education in the area.

“There are many injustices in our community and some stem from poor service delivery. The old guard are not providing solutions,” Mr Kijuju said.

Background

Dr Tumwesigye

Dr Tumwesigye, 57, has a degree in Medicine and Surgery from Makerere University and Master’s degree in Epidemiology and Statistics from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio State, USA.

He attend Kyamukuma Primary School in Sheema district and Ntare School for both O and A-Level.

He has served as State minister for health and full cabinet health minister. After 2016 he was appointed minister for science and Technology and innovation a position his holds up date.