By Our Reporters
There is something politically not right with musician-cum politician Eddie Yawe when it comes to electability. In 2011, he famously stood for Kampala Central MP Seat and seemed to have a lot of support but still victory eluded him on the voting day. The position was taken by NRM’s Mohammed Nsereko whose win Yawe even challenged in court but not much progress was made there. “When it comes to crowds, Yawe clearly carried the day. He was so popular even other DP candidates rode on his back to ease their own campaign effort in the central division,” a Kamwokya-based political activist says of Yawe whose 2011 rallies were like music concerts. Some have suggested that Yawe returns for Central Division MP Seat again in 2021 but Nsereko turns out too shrewd for him. Unknown to many people, Nsereko was among the guys who secretly funded Bobi Wine’s Kyaddondo East election late last year; the other being Makindye East MP Ibrahim Kasozi. The duo hoped to use Mr. Wine to counter Erias Lukwago’s political influence in the city by running for Lord Mayorship only for Mr. Wine to turn out too big for the Mayoral seat. But what is important for purposes of this analysis today is that Mr. Wine is for that reason very unlikely to antagonize his secret political ally Mohammed Nsereko even when the man wanting his seat is his own brother Eddie Yawe.
BACK TO EDDIE YAWE;
In 2016, Yawe who some used to call the people’s MP for Kampala Central relocated to Kiira Municipality which had just been created out of the larger Kyaddondo East constituency. He badly lost to FDC’s Semujju Nganda who scored over 80% of the vote. Yawe lives on Kireka hill where his palatial residence as a music celebrity is situated. FDC chairman elderly Wasswa Birigwa is one of his neighbors and the neighborhood where they live isn’t very far from Kabaka Mutebi’s palace in Kireka where he lives. Bobi Wine, who is renowned for being politically very cautious, kept his distance notwithstanding the moral support he had for his brother Yawe who still stood on the DP ticket like he had done in Kampala Central five years earlier. With the advent of Bobi Wine as a new political heavyweight on whose back many are scheming to ride to win political seats in 2021, many thought Yawe would instantly benefit and finally overcome the political curse under which many fellow DP youthful politicians have lived for the last two decades. The natural thing would be to consolidate his Kiira vote and upstage Semujju Nganda in 2021. However, Bobi Wine who remains very cautious not to antagonize opposition partners who are doing well already, doesn’t seem prepared for open confrontation with Nganda who remains a voters’ darling because of the consistency with which he always does his politics. Nganda, who first joined Parliament in 2011, will be seeking his 3rd term and Kiira voters remain unanimously behind him. Mr. Wine rightly realizes he will easily be misunderstood going head on with such a formidable MP colleague. “Bobi maintains its even too early and as he said on Kenyan TV last night, he believes beginning to fight for small positions derails the broader struggle to liberate Uganda and isn’t prepared to be misunderstood for working for Museveni by beginning to have fights with fellow opposition partners,” says a source close to both Bobi and Yawe.
BETRAYED IN KIIRA
Consequently, Eddie Yawe is being advised to forget about Kiira and find another constituency. Some of Mr. Wine’s assistants and political strategists are of the view that Yawe considers Nakawa Division since his Kireka home is at a location where Kiira borders Nakawa making him eligible to stand in either of the two constituencies. The incumbent there is FDC’s Mike Kabaziguruka who unfortunately hasn’t performed very vibrantly largely because of the ill-health and the detention ordeal he has endured most of the time. Even as of now he remains confined in a wheel chair because of the ambulance accident he got involved in late last year outside Game Lugogo. Kenneth Kakande of DP has stood there since time immemorial and Yawe is being urged to go and edge him out since he stands higher chances to get the Seat for DP. Yawe personally remains stuck on Kiira but the DPs say the electors there will never accept him because they resent his drinking habits. He has occasionally joined locals for a drink and the evening has always not ended very decently for Yawe who is renowned for his love for the bottle. The DPs have since become divided. Whereas majority are backing wealthy Jimmy Lukwago who is the proprietor and financier of Kiira Young Football Club, the remainder are sticking to Semujju Nganda with whom they have previously had a joint candidate platform. A person like Kiira Mayor Julius Mutebi is DP but very unlikely to publicly fight Nganda because of the way they worked and campaigned together to overcome NRM strongman Mamerito Mugerwa in 2016 and in the runner up period. Over the weekend, DP Kiira strongman Gastur Mukasa got bereaved and burial was in Buikwe. While there, DP stalwarts got drunk and started quarrelling with Eddie Yawe who accused them of betrayal. Yawe wondered why they are bringing Jimmy Lukwago, a rich real estate dealer, to compete with him in DP primaries yet it’s him who has always ensured the DP flag flies high in Kiira. Some told him he is a poor man with no money to match Lukwago’s big purse. We spoke to Lukwago on phone and he was in a defiant mood. “We have allowed those aliens to play with our politics in Kiira for too long and it’s now time for us the original residents and owners of Kiira to take charge of the leadership in the Municipality,” he said advising Eddie Yawe to try elsewhere “because in Kiira he doesn’t stand any chance to get the DP ticket.”
THE GOMBA OPTION;
Some DPs during the Buikwe funeral advised Eddie Yawe to help his brother Bobi overcome criticisms that the NRMs will soon be making against him (by going to win a seat for People Power in Gomba where they hail from). “You should go to Gomba and get a constituency there because it won’t be easy for Bobi to get accepted in other parts of the country when his home turf of Gomba is firmly in the hands of NRM. That’s where you should go and stand as an independent and prevent an outright NRM person from humiliating your brother,” one of the Kiira DP activists mockingly told Yawe during the Buikwe funeral function. Yet sending him to Gomba is clearly as good as making him defeated because being home to the President’s country home of Kisozi, its very unlikely for the opposition to have any chance there. In any case even Ronald Mayinja, another People Power diehard, has his eyes on the Gomba seat just like Bukedde TV’s Flavia Namulindwa who is also counting on Bobi to win that same Gomba seat on the independent ticket. This dilemma can only lead to one conclusion: Eddie Yawe is either politically cursed or inept when it comes to making proper political strategies. For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.
