By Kassim Ssematimba
Leuben Bwengye is one of the movementists who have stepped forward to challenge Dr. Chris Baryomunsi for the position of NRM Vice Chairperson for Western Region.
The trained lawyer and journalist, who is also a policy analyst, says he has been carrying out consultative meetings with ruling NRM party leaders in all the 44 districts making Western Uganda and his bid has been received with enthusiasm.
He adds that he has gathered views on many things which organic NRM supporters would like to see changed for the betterment of the party going forward.
Bwengye hails from Kazo district where he stood for area MP slot in 2021 but lost to Dan A Kimosho. He also stood for the EALA slot in 2022 but wasn’t successful.
During his student days at UCU Mukono and at Makerere University in the late 2000s, Bwengye was also a student leader under the NRM structures.
He served on the same NRM executive along with Prof Peter Baguma, NEMA Executive Director Akankwatsa and others.
He says he loves his party and its National Chairman YK Museveni which is why he is making all his well-intentioned proposals which you are about to read hereunder. He says that from the consultations he conducted, he realized there is need to create more offices under that one of NRM Regional Vice Chairperson.
That the region is too vast to be effectively served by one leader. He is now proposing that the party Constitution gets aligned to have four assistant chairpersons per region.
He says this would decongest work, increase visibility of the office and ease political mobilization. He says the RDC has a deputy and two assistants-and wonders why the same can’t be replicated for the role of CEC or regional Vice Chairpersons.
“I’m convinced I’m a very good candidate and much better than Dr. Chris Baryomunsi but I can hardly do better than him unless these changes are made,” Bwengye said during a Thursday media interview in Kampala.
He is also proposing that the electoral area for the Regional Chairpersons becomes only delegates from that region. He says there is no need burdening those seeking to be regional Vice Chairpersons with having to campaign in the whole country. He wants the relevant organs of the party to amend the relevant provisions of the Constitution for that to be enabled.
Bwengye also says there is need to prioritize the welfare of NRM leaders and Chairpersons at every level. He says that some years ago, Gen Museveni promised NRM district Chairpersons Shs20m each and a brand new double cabin. He wonders why this has never been fulfilled and also faults regional chairpersons like Chris Baryomunsi for failing to keep reminding the President about this.
He also says that being over facilitated causes MPs to always be at loggerheads with NRM district chairpersons who are total volunteers because they don’t get anything from the party yet they do a lot of work.
Bwengye also faults Baryomunsi for failing to organize NRM regional conferences which he is commanded to convene regularly under the party Constitution. He says 10 years is enough and now is the time for Baryomunsi to give way for someone else to occupy office and bring in new ideas.
Bwengye also says the fact that many have come up to seek the same office of Western Uganda Regional Vice Chairperson is indicative of the fact that Baryomunsi’s lukewarm performance has created a vacuum which can’t be tolerated. Besides Bwengye, others include Odrek Rwabwogo, Workers MP Arinaitwe Rwakajara, Duncan Abigaba, Blaise Kamugisha and others.
Bwengye also demands that CEC members and regional Vice Chairpersons be barred from occupying any other office such as being MP or Minister. He says the CEC role alone is too much work which shouldn’t be combined with anything else.
He has no problem with the Shs5m set as nomination fees or even the National Chairman continuing to appoint the Secretary General as opposed to the one who is elected by all party delegates. That the Shs5m nomination fees is a good way for one’s commitment to NRM to be tested. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
