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Who will take Wakiso LC5 seat?
A photo montage showing the four candidates that are vowing to take on the incumbent and NUP flag bearer Mr Matia Lwanga Bwanika. PHOTO/NMG.
What you need to know:
- Voting population: Available statistics show that the district has a voting population of 1,160,551 spread in 16 administrative units including sub-counties, town councils and municipalities.
- The municipalities are Entebbe, Kira, Makindye/ Ssabagabo and Nansana.
Four candidates have so far joined the race to unseat Mr Matia Lwanga Bwanika, who is contesting for the third time to retain the Wakiso District chairperson seat.
Four other candidates vying for the seat are Democratic Party’s Simon Nsubuga, NRM’s Moses Mayanja, Justice Forum (Jeema)’s Ahmed Kaweesa and Forum for Democratic Change’s Moses Sseryazi. Bwanika succeeded NRM’s Ian Kyeyune 9 years ago.
Mr Nsubuga, who is also the district speaker, claims that Mr Bwanika, who in August crossed over from DP to National Unity Platform (NUP), has failed to create harmony among local leaders, which has stifled development in the district.
Mr Bwanika and Mr Nsubuga have previously disagreed on how district affairs should be handled.
In 2018, Mr Nsubuga mobilised councilors to impeach the incumbent, claiming he was frustrating sand mining activities on the shores of Lake Victoria yet the district had targeted it as a key source of revenue and jobs.
This came after Mr Bwanika accused the councilors of taking bribes from Chinese investors involved in sand mining.
Although the councilors abandoned their plan to impeach Mr Bwanika after he apologized to them, he never gave up his fight to expose corrupt officials in the district.
“He [Bwanika] has failed to balance politics and development. Where an issue requires dialogue, he wants to use force to achieve his goal, which has failed to work,” Mr Nsubuga says.
He claims that during his tenure, Mr Bwanika has failed to create jobs for the youth who form the bulk of the unemployed in the district.
“I have offered myself to purely serve all the people in Wakiso and deliver to their expectations,” Mr Nsubuga adds.
What the incumbent says
Incumbent LC V Mr Matia Lwanga Bwanika (NUP). PHOTO/COURTESY.
But Bwanika says he has performed to the expectations of electorate and is assured of a win in next year’s elections.
His admirers credit him for being instrumental in protecting the environment and fighting for the common man.
“My detractors have tried to portray me as a non-performer, but the people of Wakiso are appreciating my contribution towards transforming the district. It is on the same basis that they are going to re-elect me and we consolidate the gains so far achieved,” he says.
On his part, the NRM flag bearer, Mr Mayanja, promises to lobby government to increase the district budget, saying Wakiso, being an area with a huge population, should not be treated like other districts.
“Wakiso is the most densely populated district in the country, but continues to receive funding like that extended to other districts, which is unfair,” he says.
He promises to improve social services at landing sites and also create more jobs for the youth in the district.
“The agitation for city status is also top on my agenda and to grant it to us, the government has been waiting for a person like me who can work closely with them,” Mr Mayanja says.
Like Mr Mayanja, both Mr Kaweesa and Mr Sseryazi also promise to empower youth and improve the infrastructure, especially roads and health facilities, when elected.
Wakiso, which became a district in 2000 after being carved out of Mpigi District, is currently Uganda’s most densely-populated district, with two million people, followed by Kampala with 1.5 million, as per the 2014 national census.
