By Mulengera Reporters
With Godfrey Kiwanda failing to shine because of the political baggage and resentful fatigue that comes with being an ineffective incumbent and Moses Karangwa failing to have a coherent campaign messaging and team as many are shunning him because of his controversial character, Minister Haruna Kasolo has so far emerged as the clear front runner for the CEC position of Buganda region chairman. With the D-day of 22nd August fast approached, he is the man with the cards (as POTUS Donald Trump would say).
A lot of things seem to be going for Kasolo which explains why momentum in his CEC campaign camp has rapidly been growing. This also explains the high-profile endorsements and media visibility he keeps getting from cadres from all regions of Uganda. Yet charity has had to begin at home (his native Buganda) where majority of the key big-name ruling party cadres and opinion influencers have fearlessly come out to publicly fraternize with him. They are proudly associating with him publicly, like never before.
Only last week, you had ex-Vice President Edward Sekandi and his predecessor Gilbert Bukenya coming out to proudly escort Kasolo for his nominations at NRM EC headquarters in Kyadondo. This was significant and such a consequential endorsement given the elderly and the undisputed opinion leadership status the two ex-VPs enjoy among the ruling NRM fraternity.
The two, especially Bukenya, hold sway not just in Buganda but they each have a countrywide network given the fact that they for such a long term held the position of VP under Gen YK Museveni. But even their mere presence in one’s nomination entourage strengthens, as opposed to weakening, any candidate for such CEC position.
Bukenya proudly spoke and reflected on Buganda region’s grievances including land injustice-related ones and proclaimed that Haruna Kasolo was the best person for the CEC position for the current political terrain. Bukenya described Kasolo as the man with the best credentials for the job including being media savvy, approachable and coming off a more organic leader when compared to his cometitors. He also described him as respectful as opposed to over glorifying the mere giving of money to delegates.
Bukenya told the large army of reporters that was part of the large Kasolo entourage that, having reflected on and closely studied all the different contenders, he had come to one inevitable conclusion which is that Kasolo has the best package and a campaign message prescribing solutions to grievances of Buganda region which he described as winnable back to NRM once the most appropriate CEC level deployments are made by the delegates come the August National Conference during which all CEC level leaders will be elected.
Earlier on, the highly influential Kasambya legislator David Kabanda (who is also the Secretary General for Gen MK’s PLU) had come on board and endorsed Kasolo while calling on millions of MK’s adherents to follow suit. Kabanda has a lot of influence in Greater Mubende, Sembabule where he previously worked as a radio manager and parts of Ankole sub region where he regularly features for radio political talk shows. Indeed, he has induced lots of defections among delegates in favour of Kasolo’s candidature.
On the day of nominations last week at Kyadondo, Kasolo (who came with a large crowd) held a celebratory luncheon at Royal Suites Bugolobi where a total of 1,700 delegates from several districts of Uganda were hosted. They were given a platform to declare their support for Kasolo and to also give feed back on what they would like to be improved upon going forward into the very decisive phase of the CEC campaign, which is going to be very critical.
They freely spoke and felt respected. The candidate freely interacted with them, danced and took selfies with them late into the evening. The organizers ensured there was enough for everyone to eat and drink while at Royal Suites. The delegates had been transported from their home districts in buses and coasters provided by the Kasolo campaign. The candidate also transported them back and even gave each one of them an allowance of Shs100,000.
All this made them to feel respected, recognized and appreciated. It had been unprecedented because most candidates will give Shs150,000 or even Shs300,000 to cater for accommodation while in Kampala, the transport and meals. Kasolo has also demonstrated respect by listening more to the delegates than he speaks at them during his ongoing campaign engagements which have seen him personally travel and visit many districts of Uganda-and still counting. At the end of the day during the Bugolobi engagement, even those who hadn’t yet decided got the opportunity to conclude that Kasolo was the man deserving their vote for the CEC role.
In contrast, some of his opponents are relying on fortune-hunters who end up parading before them fake/kiwaani delegates. Even when they get genuine delegates, many get turned off because of some of the candidates’ inability to articulate a coherent message regarding what they intend to do with the CEC position.
Others have over glorified money whereby the emphasis is on money delegates are made to receive as opposed to articulating a clear vision on how the CEC position can be leveraged as a platform to engage in effective mobilization so that NRM recaptures Buganda and its cadres deescalate intrigue and become more united to achieve shared goals and objectives, which is ensuring a win for Gen Museveni and other NRM candidates in the sub region which unexpectedly revolted in 2021 and voted for NUP.
Incumbent Godfrey Kiwanda has found things a bit harder because during his hey days as the CEC boss for Buganda sub region, he didn’t do enough to support individual NRM candidates especially those whose political pedigree he found intimidating and considered to be a threat to his personal supremacy, glory and relevancy before the President. Many such leaders ended up blaming their defeat on him yet they remain influential. They are natural Kasolo supporters while making it clear there is need to turn a new page in that CEC office for Buganda region.
Former Kira Mayor Mamerito Mugerwa, who personally recruited and mentored many NRM cadres in especially the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area districts, is equally on board and was among those who made speeches that fired up and inspired delegates from across the country to firmly stick to Kasolo during the Bugolobi Royal Suites engagement.
The incoming Kyotera County MP has a well-coordinated mobilisation team covering and amplifying his uniform campaign messaging across the country. In the greater Luwero, influencers and historicals like Abdul Nadduli are all solidly behind him and they have made it clear that Kasolo is the best man to represent Buganda in the ruling NRM CEC to confront contemporary mobilisation challenges.
His weekly appearances on the NBS’ Frontline have also portrayed Kasolo to delegates from most of the Bantu-speaking areas as the man with guts to effectively face off with propagandists and spin doctors from the opposition. Many are convinced that he has what it takes to occupy that specific CEC position and that he is the most suitable cadre the Movement should be deploying for today’s political moment.
The wide acceptance his bid has generated so far has inevitably been taken note of by many including those who originally despised him, which explains why even bigger cadres, gunning for greater and more consequential CEC positions, these days like sharing a campaigning platform with Haruna Kasolo not only in his native Buganda but in other parts of Uganda.
Clearly, Haruna Kaasolo isn’t among those struggling candidates who need to keep fluking and gate-crashing events of such bigger CEC campaigners in order to have shared access to delegates and seek or obtain validation in order to grow his own electoral chances. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
