Nine seek Ssegirinya’s Kawempe North seat

Even as the EC waits for the Speaker of Parliament to confirm that the vacancy exists, nine contestants are running ahead of the declaration and have already expressed interest in replacing Ssegirinya.

The EC, established under Article 60 of the 1995 Constitution, is mandated under Article 61 of the same Constitution to, among others, ensure that regular, free and fair elections and referenda are held.

Dr Sallie Simba Kayunga, an EC commissioner, said they are only waiting for Parliament to notify them about the vacancy to enable them to sit as a board and design a roadmap.

“The law says we have to conduct a by-election within 60 days after receiving a letter from the Speaker of Parliament,” Dr Kayunga said last Friday in an interview after a stakeholder engagement workshop ahead of the update of the voters’ register to run from January 20 to February 10.

“After drafting a roadmap, we shall go to the constituency and involve all the stakeholders to contest in the elections following the roadmap up to the day of voting,” he added.

But there is no waiting for the NUP quartet, three others from the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, and one each from the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and People’s Front for Freedom (PFF).

The NUP quartet includes Mr Umar Magala, Mr Erias Luyimbazi Nalukoola, Mr Alex Luswa Luwemba, and Mr Salif Sserunkuuma, while the NRM trio includes Ms Juliet Namale, Mr Ali Moses Jjemba, and Mr George Mutumba Onesmus. PFF has fronted Mr Muhamod Mutazindwa and Mr Ismail Musitwa for PPP.

During the burial of Ssegirinya at Butale Cell, Nyendo-Mukungwe in Masaka City on January 12, Kampala City Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago urged the Opposition to front a sole candidate to run against the NRM candidate.

“Whenever a vacancy exists in Parliament, the Clerk to Parliament shall notify the Electoral Commission in writing within 10 days after the vacancy has occurred; and a by-election shall be held within 60 days after the vacancy has occurred. (3) Notwithstanding clause (2) of this article, a by-election shall not be held within six months before the holding of a general election of Parliament,” Article 81, Clause 2 & 3 of the 1995 Constitution states.

Namale
The only female in the race said she would be the voice of the marginalized women, children, elderly, and disabled, with an aim of transforming their lives and standards of living.

She vowed to advocate urban health challenges like vector-borne diseases, rising incidence of non-communicable diseases, air pollution, and acute respiratory infections, among others.

She promised to engage the private health sector in the development of innovative funding schemes that offer more affordable healthcare to all Kawempe Division residents and promote collaboration between Kawempe Division authorities, businesses, and local communities.

Ms Namale said her emphasis would also be on industrialization and commercialization.
“Kawempe has always been a semi-industrial area, and there is still a need to support the growth of small industries to boost production and employment opportunities in Kawempe North.

She also promised to support the informal sectors such as boda bodas, taxis, salons, produce dealers, fishmongers, market vendors, and timber dealers with storage facilities and affordable loans.

Magala
He is the Kawempe North NUP coordinator and a professional teacher. He said he plans to revamp all projects initiated by Ssegirinya, including the hospital, ambulance, ‘Seg’ Box, youth skilling, and advocacy for better living conditions of the constituency.
“I have served the community as head teacher, deputy head teacher, worked on a borehole in Kyebando, and many other projects,” he said on Tuesday. He said he will embark on community empowerment of roadside vendors and the elderly, with a main focus on improving their livelihood.

Mr Magala also said he would continue demanding the release of political prisoners from various prisons and advocate better services in the education and health sectors using his first salary in Parliament.

Nalukoola
The former Democratic Party (DP) legal advisor and human rights advocate said he is ready to take on the mantle under NUP to fight poverty, ignorance, diseases, and nurture young talent in football and music.
“I have sponsored Kawempe Youth Football Association, which organizes tournaments annually for players between 12 and 18 years,” he said. He promised to impart catering, craft-making, and tailoring skills in the constituency and use his legal background to seek justice for the suppressed and oppressed.

He said: “As a human rights lawyer, I once represented residents of Lusanja who were being suppressed by the National Environment Management Authority (Nema), and will penetrate the Local Government and follow up on the resource appropriation to develop roads, hospitals, and sustainable water supply.”

“I will advocate the construction of more government health facilities to satisfy the existing population and make sure they are equipped with medicine, more personnel, and will push the government for judicial changes and dependency through advocacy in Parliament,” he added.

Sserunkuuma
Popularly known as “Mafu Mafu,” Mr Sserunkuuma said his leadership would be geared towards solving constituents’ challenges like unemployment.
“I will contact industries around so that our youth are employed and will partner with many stakeholders to improve sanitation,” he said.

Luwemba
Mr Luwemba, 27, who also uses the name Muhammad, said he converted to Islam one year ago “after realizing the goodness of the faith.”

The former personal assistant to Ssegirinya said he would fully represent the interests of Kawempe North constituents. The holder of a Diploma in Journalism, who is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Law, said he wants to continue with Ssegirinya’s legacy, saying the deceased reportedly asked him to be consistent with his strategy of five pillars of leadership.

“We discovered that our people suffered from unemployment, and we initiated practical skills for the youth by establishing a metal fabrication workshop, which I am to maintain. So far, more than 500 youth have got skills to become self-employed, and I have registered over 200 others this year,” Mr Luwemba said.

Like other contestants, Mr Luwemba said he would maintain the “Seg Box” initiative. He said more than 1,000 people have benefited from it, and he plans to double the beneficiaries in one year to offer financial and educational support.

He also vowed to continue with the Muhammad Ssegirinya Foundation, a charity initiative to help the disabled, orphans, and many vulnerable Ugandans by offering them wheelchairs and bursaries, among others.
“I plan to meet sponsors in the Netherlands to bring advanced fire extinguishers, which the deceased had lobbied for to curb fire outbreaks,” he added.

Mutazindwa
The PFF front man, who contested for the same seat in 2021 on the Forum Democratic Change (FDC) ticket, is an educationist who said he “plans to keep Ssegirinya’s projects afloat without renaming or rebranding any.”

The director of Musayfa Junior School-Katooke wants to extend education services to poor communities and empower vulnerable children from humble backgrounds to access education at reduced cost through pushing for bursaries.

He said he currently has more than 1,300 half and 30 full bursaries across different schools, further pledging to create job opportunities and empower the youth in the constituency.
He said his leadership would be people-centered to make rational decisions.

Jjemba
The holder of a Bachelor of Laws and former Kasangati Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC) said he wants to extend service delivery and all government projects like the Parish Development Model (PDM) to the constituency.

“The government rolled out Emyooga, Youth Livelihood Programmes, Woman Livelihood Programmes, and PDM; but because they have been politicized by the Opposition, we are looking at allying Kawempe back to the NRM,” he said.

He said when it comes to service delivery, it does not matter whether one is NRM, DP, NUP, or PFF.
“So, I want to return sanity to Kawempe North so that all people can get empowered,” he said.

Mutumba
He is the current LC3 councillor for Kawempe I, Speaker, and Youth General Secretary of the National Youth Council for Kawempe Division.

Mr Mutumba said his manifesto will center on the creation of peace and security. He vowed to prioritize creating job opportunities for the people of Kawempe, fostering women empowerment, reducing gender-based violence in homes and the community, and advocating human rights and respect for the rule of law.

He vowed to improve sanitation, advance efforts in social service accessibility, rebrand NRM’s image in Kawempe North, and ensure equitable resource distribution.