Mbidde abandons Mao, backs Bobi Wine for presidency

Democratic Party (DP) vice president, Mr Fred Mukasa Mbidde has opted to back the National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine in lieu of his party’s flag-bearer Mr Norbert Mao.   

Mr Mbidde who also doubles as the DP chairperson for Masaka District, says he has already informed Mr  Mao about his decision who gave him a go ahead.

Mr Mbidde believes Mr Kyagulanyi is the only presidential candidate in the race who can end Mr Museveni’s 35-year rule.

"I am among the few parliamentary contestants who wish Mr Kyagulanyi well because most of the incumbents in Masaka are schemers who simply want his backing to retain their parliamentary seats other than making him win the presidency," Mr Mbidde who is vying for the new Nyendo-Mukungwe parliamentary seat, said while officially launching his campaigns over weekend.

Efforts to get a comment on DP’s position on the matter were futile as call repeatedly made to the party spokesperson, Mr Opio Okoler, went unanswered at the time of filing this story.

Mbidde is tussling it out with six others including NUP’s Mathias Mpuuga, Sarah Kiyimba (NRM) Daniel Kagiri (Alliance of National Transformation), Badru Abas Ssenyonga (JEEMA) and independents  Michael Ssekabira, Daniel Ntale and Peter Ssempa .

Before joining NUP in August, Mpuuga, who is the incumbent Masaka Municipality MP, was a DP stalwart, a party he had supported since childhood. 

Mr Mpuuga defected to NUP together with 10 other DP legislators mostly from the Central Region.

Without mentioning names Mbidde said many of incumbent MPs in Masaka are only concentrating on politics other than addressing problems affecting the electorate.

“Some of your current MPs in this district have been in Parliament for two decades but have done nothing for you. Please drop such characters and elect only development oriented people like me,” he said

Mr Mbidde, who is serving his second and last term in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), promised to create enough jobs for people in Nyendo-Mukungwe constituency through his organisation "Mbidde Foundation".

Ms Mary Babirye Kabanda, the DP national treasurer and also the Masaka District Woman MP was the first to declare her support to Kyagulanyi.

At the same event, Ms Kabanda, who is currently vying for the Woman MP seat in the newly created Masaka City, openly attacked Mr Mpuuga and Ms Florence Namayanja, the Bukoto East legislator, accusing both of them of failing to fulfill  pledges they made to their electorate five years ago.

"My friends, vote for people who will speak for you in Parliament, not those who will speak via radio. Their role is to go on radio talk shows and allege that I am an NRM mole, I don't think what I have done for my people in terms of development makes me an NRM agent because even the Vice President Edward Ssekandi, who is NRM has not achieved even half of what I have done for Masaka ," Ms Kabanda said.