By Our Reporters
Fearing to be swept and swallowed by the People Power momentum, Mukono North MP Ronald Kibule is considering relocating to remoter Bbale County in Kayunga district. Sources inside his political camp say that the youthful Minister, who narrowly defeated city lawyer Abdullah Kiwanuka (a political upstart) in 2016, lives under extreme nervousness that whoever Bobi Wine endorses will easily sweep him off the Seat he has occupied since 2011. “The fear is real because the constituency is increasingly becoming urbanized and Kibule is faced with voters who are angry that he betrayed them when he voted to touch Article 102(b) of the Constitution [scrapping age limits] in December 2017. Voters have never forgiven him but the rapidly urbanizing nature of the constituency is what is frightening him most,” says one of Kibule’s long time campaign coordinators. In Bbale County, the wealthy politician who is renowned for his personal closeness to President Museveni, has already constructed a plush residence to which one of his official wives will be relocating ahead of NRM primaries slated for late next year. Bbale is easily considered a soft spot for Kibule not only because it’s largely rural and therefore more susceptible to NRM vote machinations but also because the incumbent Nsamba Kumama is equally standing on shaky political ground. “Before becoming MP, Kumama invested in road construction deals including attempting the one of Katosi where he burnt his fingers and lost big money yet he had borrowed heavily to prepare for the job. He has lived with that debt as MP and in fact if it wasn’t the MP’s salary he would by now have been caged in Luzira by his creditors. His monthly salary is heavily decimated to make monthly payments for the debts. So he hasn’t been able to materially look after voters and they are very bitter with him having abandoned the constituency,” said a knowledgeable source adding that on hearing of the Kibule threat, Kumama has lately become regular and visible in the Constituency once again. Kibule has vast pieces of land in Bbale including a modern farm on which the new house has been erected. Yet Kibule isn’t the only threat Kumama will have to contend with in 2021. Ex-Minister Suleiman Madada, who Kumama replaced in 2021 (after trying many times) is back in the trenches already badly decampaigning him. Madada has a Foundation which he is using to do lots of charity in Bbale. Yet that isn’t all. Even Kayunga Woman MP Ida Nantaba (who faces rebellion inside her own camp) is having her eyes on Bbale as an alternative constituency to go to should the hostility continue against her as woman MP.
BACK TO KIBULE;
In Mukono North, Counsel Abdullah Kiwanuka remains the formidable threat continuing to give the flamboyant politician sleepless nights. Kiwanuka operates his own law firm having previously worked with Lukwago & Co Advocates. He is the relentless advocate who was famously dragged on the tarmac outside KCCA by security operatives who loathed his guts to storm city hall and serve Frank Tumwebaze with a court order staying Erias Lukwago’s impeachment. Since that time, Kiwanuka distinguished himself as a poor man’s lawyer and the rampant land wrangles and violent evictions have increased his relevancy, appeal and popularity in Mukono North which Kibule can clearly not hold onto anymore being a supporter of the Museveni status quo which majority areas residents resent in favor of Mr. Wine and his People Power Movement. Kibule is also faulted for generally not being outspoken on land matters and crowds recently heckled him in front of the President. This was during a visit Museveni made to the area to stop land evictions. In fact Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze, who has effectively recruited Mukono South’s Muyanja Senyonga in her opposition politics, is the one Kibule voters run to each time they have grievances that warrant attention of Parliament. Nambooze originally represented the entire thing as one constituency called Mukono North out of which her Municipality was curved in 2011. “The anti-Museveni wave that pushed the likes of Buvuma MP Robert Migadde and Mukono South’s Muyanja Senyonga to vote against NRM in the Togikwatako saga has inspired Mukono North voters and thereby increasing pressure on Kibule but being one who can’t turn against the system, relocating to Bbale becomes the only viable option for him,” said one of the Kibule camp insiders we spoke to for this story.
