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Road to 2026: New Jinja East contenders seek to end Nabeta’s dominance

MP Nathan Igeme Nabeta

What you need to know:

  • Jinja East Constituency forms a large part for the slum setting and money matters a lot at the last minute, which I believe Mwiru and Nabeta will have. Therefore, the race will remain for any of them,’’ he said.

The political grip on Jinja South East Constituency, long held by MP Nathan Igeme Nabeta and his rival Paul Mwiru, is under threat after two formidable contenders stepped into the ring. 

Richard Mbazira, an NRM councillor in Jinja City, and Musa Kabugo, a prominent businessman vying for the FDC ticket, are ready to shake up the race and challenge the status quo in the upcoming elections. Mr Mbaziira, a former ardent supporter of Nabeta, is capitalising on the weaknesses and failures of the two senior politicians in the constituency while Kabugo promises to offer youth employment. Mr Kabugo contested on FDC ticket in 2021, but he was disqualified by the FDC party Electoral Commission over lack of academic qualifications, something he denies. 

“ Both Mr Nabeta and Mr Mwiru have failed to fulfil their pledges and have spent more time lodging election petitions against one another. I have come to serve the people of Jinja since I have enough time for them,’’ Mr Mbaziira said.

He criticised Nabeta for failing to deliver on the much-publicised Lake Victoria Information Communication Technology (LAVIT) industry project, which was intended to provide jobs for more than 20,000 locals. 

Similarly, he accused Mwiru of failing to complete a public library aimed at boosting education in the constituency. Mr Mbazira further criticised the two senior politicians of failure to lobby for scholarships, ambulances and good roads. “This constituency is meant to have a Member of Parliament who interacts with the voters but these two people completely failed to establish an office in the constituency and concentrate in Kampala yet these people have problems to share with their leaders,’’ he said. 

Commenting on the choice of candidates, Mr Abubaker Maganda, the Jinja FDC chairperson, said Mbaziira was passionate about voters’ needs. “When people experienced a hard time during the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Mbaziira provided food, money and made funeral contributions to the people. Therefore, he is fit to serve in the position of MP,’’ Mr Maganda said. Mr Maganda was, however, quick to declare that he would support the official FDC party candidate.

He accused Mwiru of being unreliable. Mwiru, who originally subscribed to the FDC party, has since crossed to Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) and to National Unity Platform (NUP). Mr Wycliffe Ofwono, a voter, however, described Mbaziira as a betrayer for abandoning Mr Nabeta’s camp.

 “Mr Faizo Mayemba was a political assistant to Nabeta who came out to contest against him in the 2011 elections, but he defeated him .Mbazira is not any different ,’’ Mr Ofwono said. He said Nabeta still yielded support and commands respect from the people in his constituency. Ms Christine Abuze, a former district councillor, disapproved of all the contestants, saying none was suitable to represent their interests. Mr Kabugo accused the former candidates of betraying the people of Jinja. 

He promised to set up many washing bays in town to offer youth employment. Mr Kabugo dismissed claims that he lacks the requisite academic qualifications, saying said labelling the accusation against him were attempting to malign him. He said he completed his Advanced Level education at Kiira High School in Jinja City and obtained a certificate after getting four principal passes. Mr Awali Kissibo, a close ally of Mr Mwiru, said the new entrants were insignificant, adding that the race for Jinja South East Constituency would be between Nabeta and Mwiru. 

Mr Kissibo said Mr Mbaziira was faced with a daunting task of contesting with Nabeta for the NRM ticket during primaries . “Jinja East Constituency forms a large part for the slum setting and money matters a lot at the last minute, which I believe Mwiru and Nabeta will have. Therefore, the race will remain for any of them,’’ he said.

The situation

Mr Julius Kayiira , the officer-in-charge of Veteran Affairs in NUP, Jinja City, said: “ Nabeta and Mwiru have built a network of friends in the constituency. They paid school fees to many children who are now voters. They have good relationships with all religious institutions. They are all royal to Busoga Kingdom. These two people are coming from strong parties.

 Nabeta is from NRM and Mwiru is from NUP, the current strong opposition party. It will be difficult for new entrants to penetrate.’’

Mr Kayiira said Mr Mwiru was recognised as a person who represented his electorate well in Parliament compared to Nabeta whose contribution was mostly seen on the ground.

“Mwiru lobbied for a Masese Seed School, community library in Danida, representing the views of the constituency at Parliament . Both have radio stations, Nabeta also has a hotel which is a sign of job creation,’’ he said.


Background

Since 1961, seven people have represented Jinja East constituency. CK Patel (Independent, 1961), M. Patel (Democratic Party, 1962), Eliab Muzira (DP, 1980), Daudi Magezi (DP, 1989), David Kamusala (DP, 1998), Nathan Igeme Nabeta (NRM, 2001, 2006, 2011), Paul Mwiru (FDC, 2012, 2016), Nathan Igeme Nabeta (NRM, 2021).
Mr Nabeta, who has twice been voted into Parliament, has had his victory challenged in court by Mr Mwiru over his alleged lack of requisite academic papers and voter rigging.