By Simon Turibamwe
This is something they may not publicly admit but the truth is MPs Winnie Kiiza (woman representative) and Robert Centenary are not sleeping anymore. This is so because a number of formidable Kasese politicians have come up and are already in the trenches to send them home in public interest. It’s even worse for Kiiza who has held public office now for 25 years without break. This includes 10 years as a district councilor (was even secretary for social services under LC5 chairperson Yokasi Bihande Bwambale) and another 15 years as area woman MP. She has actually been woman MP since 2006 when she opportunistically capitalized on Loyce Biira Bwambale’s reluctancy to openly embrace Col Kizza Besigye to move the Kasese crowds in her favor. For starters, the Kasese people have since 2001 voted Besigye and those running under his umbrella because they consider him to be one political hero who re-energized their demands for restoration of the Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu prompting President Museveni to grant the same in 2009. Besigye became a darling of Kasese when he charismatically announced at a rally that before taking oath as President, the first thing he would do on being declared winner was to announce the restoration of Obusinga. It was in that 2001 campaigns that the man from Rukungiri became a kingmaker for the Kasese voters and that’s how Loyce Bwambale (who was then Kasese woman MP) bowed to the dictates of the people and embraced KB. Indeed, she sought re-election under the Reform Agenda umbrella and easily won. However, she became lukewarm in the period Besigye was in South Africa (same time FDC was being formed) and thereby creating a vacuum in the Besigye Kasese camp which Winnie Kiiza (who was serving as district councilor Kisinga Sub County) occupied and became a mama FDC of sorts for Kasese district. But even then, Kiiza who was active in Reform Agenda under the mentorship of the likes of Beti Kamya and Winnie Byanyima, was never the main FDC influencer in the Kasese politics. She was always overshadowed by giants like Godfrey Baluku Kabyanga (now Mayor), Christopher Kibanzanga and Yokasi Bihande who eventually dumped his first wife (Redemptor Kobusingye) and took her on for a spouse in a controversial marriage/wedding that had to be secured by heavy police deployment in the late 2000s. Besigye was guest of honor at that wedding and on seeing how stressed the bride was (because of Kobusingye’s court order restraining the marriage), Cecilia Ogwal offered to be the couple’s marriage counselor (senga).
KIIZA’S REIGN
During her 25 years of public service, Winnie Kiiza (who started out as a secondary school teacher) has made many friends and foes. To her critics, Kiiza is a political manipulator who has always delivered projects in Konzo-dominated highland areas while doing very little or nothing in Basongora-Banyabindi communities which occupy the low-lying areas of Kasese district. Infact some accuse her of playing the divide and rule card to keep dominating the three communities named above. Some of her strong points include being social and easily approachable and as well as being generous during community fundraising functions. She also sponsors football tournaments which have always given her some visibility as a leader. She also has done something in education whereby her national connections have always enabled Kasese’s best UNEB candidates to secure admissions in Kampala’s elite schools like Naalya SS and Seeta High. Whereas this has been a good intervention, her political opponents keep claiming that her political assistants have been using this initiative to claim commission from some of these schools arguing that these are top class students joining in as cream from Kasese. She also had pioneered a poultry project that was based at Sub County level but it unfortunately didn’t work out leaving many women groups cursing her. She also has lately been associated with a number of weaknesses including the political unpopularity that naturally comes with prolonged incumbency. Some call it political fatigue and having held elected office for 25 years, Kiiza suffers plenty of it. Her re-electability is also diminished by the fact that her close relative Christine Muhindo is a well-empowered assistant to Museveni which makes some people to argue that the family has after all eaten a lot in the last 20 years. As seen in their consistent refusal to embrace NRM, Kasese district voters are politically very sophisticated unlike other rural districts of Uganda. Consequently, they always hold their leaders to a high standard. Many of them have lately been faulting Kiiza for failing to show leadership that is expected of a politician of her experience. At 25 years of public service, she is simply the most senior legislator from Kasese. Yet her leadership has many times been wanting when it comes to making prudent decisions that may politically not be very popular. There are many examples to illustrate this including the debate on the proposed split of Kasese district. Unsure of what the majority Kasese residents preferred, Kiiza (who would directly be more affected than any other leader) opted to playing it safe by being vague on this very important debate. Instead she waited and only pronounced herself after it became clear that the move to split the district was not going to succeed. Years earlier, Kiiza equally disappointed many when she took a very ambiguous stand when her leadership was required most regarding who between Bakonzo and Basongora was right. Many lives were lost as a result of the chaos that resulted from Basongora’s decision to defiantly install their own king. Then in July 2014, when Bakonzo youths occasioned random violence against communities in Ntoroko, Kasese and Bundibugyo districts Winnie Kiiza’s leadership still didn’t manifest in a manner that her electors expected.
THE FDC DILEMA
As of now, the biggest challenge Kiiza is facing is how to market Gen Muntu’s ANT party to an audience that still prefers FDC and it’s founding President Kizza Besigye. According to Saul Matte the long-serving FDC Kasese chairman (who has always been instrumental in election of party flag bearers), Kasese remains solidly behind FDC and as far as he is concerned, Kiiza is going to pay heavily for turning her back on the party. In a recent interview with Mulengera news, Matte claimed that Kiiza would miss FDC more than the party can miss her. Matte (to whom Kiiza as LoP donated an old Spacio) says some of these MPs that seem to be hostile to FDC had actually already lost ground because of personal misconduct and the party was already shopping for their replacements. In reference to Kasese Municipality MP Robert Centenary, Matte says the party supporters had for long realized it was a mistake to give him their ticket because he was the wrong person for the job. In Kiiza’s case, fear to be confronted by angry FDC diehards (accusing her of political betrayal) has caused her to stay away from the district for quite some time. If she has been to Kasese lately, then it was an incognito visit because everybody is inquisitive regarding her whereabouts. Majority voters want her to categorically state whether she still belongs to their FDC party or Muntu’s ANT. This huge dilemma is something that Asuman Bisiika, a leading pundit on the Kasese politics, has previously made reference to in his famous column in the Saturday Monitor. The same dilemma (or even worse) faces honorable Centenary whose Municipality has a very large concentration of Besigye/FDC diehards.
MULTIPLE CONTENDERS
The impending political demise of these two (coupled with their invisibility in the constituency fearing to face hostile ground) has created a huge political vacuum which many long-serving FDC cadres have stepped forward to occupy. The ever-growing number of aspirants seeking party ticket in Kiiza and Centenary’s constituencies has actually left party bureaucrats at Najjanankumbi in both shock and excitement. For Kiiza’s seat, a number of FDC women have stepped forward the strongest of whom being Florence Kabugho who Kasese residents have embraced with enthusiasm. In her 30s, Florence Kabugho has many selling points including the undivided backing of the Anglican Diocese whose Messiah FM she manages. She is also a long-serving Protocol Minister in the Rwenzururu kingdom which guarantees her of the block vote that comes with serving the Omusinga so closely. Desirous to benefit from the Besigye clout, Kabugho is already campaigning to become the FDC flag bearer against Winnie Kiiza who voters want to punish for abandoning their party. Her Bobi-like celebrity status is an additional advantage and reason for long-serving Winnie Kiiza to have sleepless nights. He biggest support is among the youths and women who say that Kiiza (and husband Bihande) have eaten enough. Bulembia Division female Councilor Ruth Kabugho is another political heavyweight that wants the FDC ticket against Kiiza. From NRM, four women politicians have stepped forward to harvest Kiiza. They include Sadress Kayiri (business lady whose husband is Kasese town clerk), Sarah Ithungu, Annet Kobusingye, Biira Kahene and Best Juliet Bakoko whose husband is Ferigo Kambale, a leading NRM tycoon in Kasese. And many more are expected to declare their interests in sending Kiiza to her political retirement.
CENTENARY’S FATE
As for the Kasese Municipality MP, the FDC-related ambivalence and personal pride are some of the major factors that are going to force him to claim his political pension from Parliament as soon as the 2021 elections is concluded. He has lately been frequenting the town but Kasese voters remain unpersuaded until he explains why he betrayed them by fluking a lift in the President’s chopper as the big man travelled to Town Center to preside over the SDA church fundraising. Arguing that it was unacceptable for an FDC MP to become a conduit for State House money for different women groups, FDC chairman Saul Matte demanded for answers but Centenary told him off saying he was a nobody to question his personal decisions. This is something for which Kasese voters (who greatly respect Matte) have never forgiven Centenary. A number of FDC diehards have stepped forward to replace him and carry the party flag in 2021. They include Ezekiel Masereka (a manager with Centenary Bank Kasese) and Kisinga Sub County LC3 Chairperson Chance Kahindo. Some of the voters say that they expected Centenary to be a very serious Municipality MP rivaling the very high standards that have been set by the likes of Ntungamo Municipality’s Gerald Karuhanga, Kira Municipality’s Semuju Nganda and Kampala Central’s Mohamed Nsereko only to be disappointed with his lukewarm performance. Outside FDC, the NRM also considers Centenary to be a cracking politician waiting to be harvested in 2021. The NRM party diehards have resolved to front Ferigo Kambale who in 2016 was narrowly defeated by Centenary (who ironically hails from a strong NRM family). For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.
