Godfrey Saazi is the current Gomba East MP. The NRM dominance in the constituency came to an end in 2021 when Saazi, a NUP candidate, defeated NRM’s Emmanuel Kalule Ssengo. PHOTO | COURTESY
In the 2026 General Election, the ruling National Resistance Movement ( NRM) aims to wrest Gomba East from the firm grip of Godfrey Saazi of the National Unity Platform (NUP).
To understand why the NRM is desperate to get back Gomba East, one has to go back to 2015 when Gomba County was split into two – Gomba West and Gomba East, in what could be perceived as a form of gerrymandering. Adolf Mwesige, then Minister of Local Government, said the government considered it necessary to create the counties for effective representation, streamlining administration, internal emancipation and reduction of marginalisation.
The most immediate effect of creating Gomba East was that the NRM maintained its dominance, with Emmanuel Kalule Ssengo beating the Democratic Party’s (DP) Charles Kyagaba with just a difference of 386 votes. That was not the first time Ssengo was going to Parliament because he had represented Gomba County in the seventh Parliament but in 2006, he was replaced by Rosemary Mariam Najjemba, who represented the constituency until 2016 when she announced her retirement from politics.
End of NRM run
The NRM dominance came to an end in 2021 when Saazi defeated Ssengo with a difference of 9,920. The NRM has been agonising over what exactly caused this loss in an area that they thought was firmly in the yellow column. Some attribute Ssengo’s loss to the antagonistic NRM primary in which he got the better of Najjemba, who had made a comeback to elective politics after a five-year hiatus. It is said with Najjemba accusing Ssengo of rigging him out, many of her voters decamped and voted for Saazi.
Another narrative from the NRM is that unlike Gomba West, which remained firmly in the yellow column when Robina Gureme Rwakoojo got another term, Gomba East was affected by the Opposition support that they say spilled over from the neighbouring Butambala, which is now considered an NRM stronghold.
“Gomba East has many townships that are near Butambala, where the Opposition is strong. I think the support from Butambala affected Gomba East,” an NRM MP from Gomba, who preferred anonymity, said.
NRM’s diagnosis of why they lost Gomba East also includes the fact that the constituency hosts a village called Wasinde, where NUP principal Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, alias Bobi Wine, was born. When he campaigned in his home village during the run for the 2021 elections, he accused Museveni’s regime of not only lowering the prices of agricultural products but also killing their businesses.
Bobi Wine, who met stiff resistance from a combination of police and military, said Gomba is not any different from Arua, West Nile, Mbarara and all other parts of Uganda which are languishing in poverty and requested them to join those other parts of the country to vote for him and realise an ultimate change.
What Bobi Wine was saying was what Ssengo had told his party leadership for many years that places such as Gomba in rural Buganda were being ignored.
“We need good roads. We need markets for our agricultural outputs. We need to curb corruption for the country to run well,” Ssengo repeatedly implored the NRM leadership.
It seemed the Gomba cultivators were convinced by Kyagulanyi’s message because he won Gomba East at the presidential level and they also voted for Saazi, who was making his debut in elective politics.
“The President didn’t lose in Gomba West. He lost in Gomba East because of many reasons,” Rwakoojo said.
Uphill task to reclaim seat It’s not clear how NRM plans to back Gomba East but some sources say they are counting on Najjemba to make a comeback. Najjemba, who served as Minister for Urban Planning, years later would narrate how meeting President Museveni, who has a farm in Gomba-Kisozi, was a turning point in her life.
Najjemba claimed that her mother, Aisha Nababi, who was the Local Council Woman Secretary and co-organiser of the President’s visit to their area in Maddu, a few miles away from Kisozi, ensured Najjemba caught the President’s eye during question time.
Najjemba talked about how she later clandestinely met privately Museveni, who later appointed her as his “political officer.” However, sources familiar with Najjemba’s thinking insist that she isn’t planning to contest in an NRM primary owing to the disappointment of 2020.
“She was rigged out last time, why should she contest again in the same process?” a person familiar with Najjemba said on condition of anonymity.
Another reason being advanced as to why Najjemba prefers an independent ticket is that she came to the realization winning in Gomba East on NRM ticket is now an uphill task following the advent of NUP. With the veteran Ssengo seemingly tired of elective politics and if indeed Najjemba decides not to contest in the NRM primaries, the ruling party will be left to pick from several unknown figures to face a NUP candidate.
Not that the picture is clear within NUP because Saazi’s term hasn’t been the best as he has struggled to make himself a household name.
“The only hope that NRM has in this race is that Saazi hasn’t performed well. In the House, he hasn’t been vocal and also in the constituency, he hasn’t been visible. That’s why the NRM thinks they can take back this seat,” a source said.
Saazi tried to make himself visible during the acrimonious debate that led to the rationalisation of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA).
“The government’s intention in removing some of these institutions was to curb expenditure. As Parliament, we evaluated and found that UCDA was among the institutions that were impactful and shouldn’t be removed and consequently, we sent a report to the President. The President refused to sign and sent back a report with his concerns. We are supposed to be people-centred – when you look at all the
things that were done, it seems the people aren’t factored in,” Saazi said.
How Saazi came to politics
Saazi, a lawyer, recounted how he got interested in politics in 2016. He was moved to take a step after he was inspired by Kyagulanyi.
“I wanted to stand in 2016 but as an independent. I bought the car I used in 2021 in 2016. I didn’t want to get a card from any political party but once Kyagulanyi came, I decided to join NUP,” Saazi said.
Mary Namulindwa in the ring
Within NUP, Saazi is facing a challenge from former Vision Group journalist Flavia Mary Namulindwa, who has returned to Uganda after spending some years in the United States. Namulindwa had earlier eyed the Gomba Woman MP slot but with Kyagulanyi’s sister Betty Sentamu giving a second try, she opted for Gomba East, where she thinks she stands a chance since Saazi is considered to be vulnerable.
"Namulindwa was born in Gomba East and she has started to make steps preparing the ground to ensure she makes a case to NUP leadership such that she wins the ticket,” a source close to Namulindwa said.
