By Mulengera Reporters
On Saturday, thousands of Kiboga residents converged at Ssaza grounds to participate in the thanksgiving ceremony at which Gen Salim Saleh’s daughter Desire Muhooza celebrated her victory as new district woman MP.
Many big-name Movementists attended including Al-Hajji Moses Kigongo, Minister Hillary Onek, DP VP Mukasa Mbidde, gospel singer Wilson Bugembe and Defense Minister Jackson Oboth-Oboth. Each one of them spoke very fondly of the new woman MP and thanked Kiboga residents for disregarding NUP’s Christine Kaya Nakimwero and voting her in.
But Oboth-Oboth’s words stood out because he was unreserved in his utterances. He engaged in lots of flattery as Desire Muhooza, his host, translated his speech into Luganda. He started by saying he couldn’t risk not being present at Kiboga because he would have nothing to tell Gen Saleh, her biological daddy, who he described as a leading Revolutionary in Uganda. Indeed, Oboth-Oboth parachuted directly from Kabale where he had gone for Tarehe Sita festivities.
In his long speech, Oboth-Oboth said Kiboga residents were lucky to be represented by such a people-loving legislator in Parliament. Calling her the ‘master key to Kiboga’s problems,’ Oboth-Oboth said there is no government Minister or Permanent Secretary who can ever turn his or her back on Desire Muhooza in case she visits their offices in Kampala to lobby anything for Kiboga.
He said Desire Muhooza, an employee of OWC which falls under his Ministry, has already been in government doing both formal and informal assignments. He said he knows of many clandestine and sensitive assignments Generals Museveni and Saleh have over the years been assigning Desire Muhooza to do outside Uganda. He claimed that some Presidents in the region consider her to be an expatriate who the Ugandan President keeps sending to them every now and then.
Oboth-Oboth flattered Desire Muhooza, a young lady young enough to be his daughter, to the extent that the incoming Kiboga MP at some point refused to translate some of the words in Luganda because she felt extremely humbled by such a complimentary speech from such a big person.
He also asked the people of Kiboga to be Muhooza’s shield because, as he put it, there are many senior cadres of the NRM from Kiboga who will be out to sponsor all manner of intrigue aimed at undermining her popularity and authority as the new Kiboga Woman MP and leading kingmaker of the NRM from this historically very important district because it lies right there in the heart of Luwero triangle, which anchored the NRM bush war.
He incited the area residents to be shameless and very outspoken in defense of their new Woman MP so that no one talks ill of her and is permitted to get away with it. Oboth-Oboth, who bragged about the fact that in May he will be taking oath to commence his 4th term as Budama South MP, also cautioned Kiboga voters to be realistic about the high expectations they might be having in Desire Muhooza, lest they end up disappointed.
He explained that he knows from experience that voters’ expectations tend to be highest during every new legislator’s first six months in office. He suggested that Kiboga residents create an exception for Desire Muhooza because many of the things she might have promised them during the campaigning season may not be easy to implement in the immediate term. “Let’s not get disappointed and begin bad mouthing our new Woman MP and name-calling. Let’s behave like adults and allow her time to serve us. The truth is that in the campaigning season; we politicians promise many things including those which we know are unachievable.”
He explained that Uganda is a large country and the NRM government can be faced with many competing priorities amidst resource constraints. This, he explained, makes it impossible for all promises Mzee’s good cadres, like Muhooza, may have promised voters to be immediately fulfilled.
But even in Kampala inside Parliament, Oboth-Oboth said there is a lot of learning on the job after MPs have taken their oath. He told them about rules of procedure, which he always tutors new MPs about during induction. He said it’s not easy to master those rules, which is why Kiboga residents must permit Muhooza time to learn before beginning to make huge demands as to why she isn’t outspoken on the floor like other legislators.
Oboth-Oboth also asked Kiboga residents to pray for him to remain Minister after May when Gen Museveni will be making changes in his team. He said they should equally pray for Muhooza and the other two NRM MPs from Kiboga to be considered by the big man from Rwakitura because they too stand a chance to become Ministers because with Gen Museveni, you can never know who gets in or out.
WON’T BE ONE TERM MP:
Oboth-Oboth also implored Kiboga residents to be loyal and develop deep love for Desire Muhooza so that she doesn’t end up being a one term MP. See detailed Oboth-Oboth video via this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Oboth-Oboth asked the people of Kiboga to emulate his Budaama voters and those Hillary Onek’s Lamwo County by ensuring that they keep voting Desire Muhooza back to Parliament for as long as she offers herself for re-election. He also asked them to avoid making unreasonable demands to their new Woman MP because she is still very young and such pressure can stress and permanently disorganize her. He said he knows she is a fighter and an effective daughter of fighters who will be able to do a good job so that the pleased voters keep sending her back.
He predicted a day when Desire Muhooza, barely 35 years, will be taking oath to enter her 4th term as Kiboga woman MP, the way he will be doing in May. He assured Kiboga residents that things are going to change in the next five years, regarding the state of public infrastructure in their district, because there is no door in government which Gen Salim Saleh’s daughter won’t be knocking at in the next five years.
In her speech, Desire Muhooza made reference to stock of tarmac roads which has increased in Kiboga from 1986’s mere 80kms to today’s over 800kms; health centers which have grown from mere two in 1986 to today’s 22; 1986’s seven primary schools which have now grown to 86 and 1986’s nine boreholes in the whole district which have since grown to 189.
Muhooza also handed over written memoranda to Kigongo for delivery to the President reminding him about the Shs100m he promised to a local church and another Shs100m that was promised to the Muslim Sheikhs’ SACCO in Kiboga. She also promised to directly engage the President to ensure that the all his outstanding road construction-related pledges are immediately fulfilled as a matter of priority.
These include Kiboga-Bukuya-Myanzi road, Kituuma-Kibanda-Kapeeka road, Bukomero-Ddwaniro-Kyankwanzi road 9leaning to NALI/Political School aka Kaguta Road) and also the Kembogo Road. She implored the President, through Kigongo, to tactfully increase the road construction budget allocation for the district so that the newly re-elected Kiboga LC5 Chairman Ntiro K Wavamunno gets empowered to be the one to deliver these game-changing road infrastructure interventions for Kiboga. The resultant political dividend will increase electability of NRM candidates at the subsequent election cycle.
Moses Kigongo thanked Muhooza for choosing to celebrate her win on 7th February (the day when the NRA fighters first set foot in Kiboga in the year 1981) and also for bringing to Kiboga the unity and vibe which has resulted into NUP being swept out of the district once and for all. Kigongo particularly thanked Muhooza for registering such good electoral results to the extent that the President’s winning percentage grew from 2021’s 49% to 2026’s 61% besides the fact that all the MPs are now NRM, as is the district Chairman, all Town Councils’ Mayors and Chairpersons for all the 13 rural sub counties.
Muhooza, who many earlier speakers praised for re-uniting the NRM base in Kiboga, introduced all the newly elected Councillors and other winners to the second most powerful person in the NRM party. Kigongo implored her to remain down to earth, forgive those who could have worked to undermine her from within the NRM and to also remain humble and keep listening to all Kiboga residents including those who may not have supported her.
He also asked the triumphant NRM cadres to stop the political excitement of mocking NUP supporters because the season for politicking must now come to an end and real hard work of service delivery and re-uniting the country begins. The area LC5 chairman asked the President to prioritize valley dams’ construction so that cattle keepers in Kiboga overcome drought-related constraints.
Muhooza also used the occasion to implore Hillary Onek to use his leverage as one of the clan leaders in Acholi to rally the population there to become more receptive towards the Balalos/cattle keepers (many of them are from Kiboga) who have lawfully been acquiring land and settling in Acholi sub region. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
