EALA representative Fred Mukasa Mbidde, who is also DP Vice President, has officially commenced political campaigns aimed at ousting Masaka Municipality MP Mathias Mpuuga. A few days ago, Mbidde released a video of a meeting he addressed in Masaka while unveiling his bid to the newly elected LC1 leaders throughout the Municipality. In the video Mbidde assures the elected leaders that they won’t regret once they support him to overcome Mpuuga. A confident-talking Mbidde told them he even knows the exact date in February 2021 when elections will take place. He told them that unlike Mpuuga, he is a leader who wishes others to equally succeed materially. He reveals how he helped Jude Mbabali become the first non NRM LC5 Chairman for Masaka district and even funded his campaigns. In the same meeting, Mbidde recalled how he persuaded Mbabali to abandon Sekandi’s Bukoto Central to instead run for the LC5 position and he hasn’t regretted since. He says Mbabali dismissed him initially saying he must have been hired by the NRM to leave Sekandi. “He said he doesn’t even have money for the campaigns and I gave it to him,” the video shows Mbidde as telling the newly elected leaders from both his DP and NRM. He sarcastically laughs at the NRM leaders wondering why they didn’t come for their share recently when he funded all people vying for LC1 positions. Mbidde says he is angry Mpuuga, whom he says is nervous and fears losing to him, recently contemptuously likened him to kamuje, a small village animal famous for stealing ground nuts from people’s gardens and court yard. “Some people aren’t fair to themselves. He is very disrespectful which shows he isn’t a leader. How do you use such terms to describe somebody who is richer and more educated, exposed and more travelled than you? I’m better than him in everything and all this shows he lacks respect for other leaders,” Mbidde tells a cheerful audience in the video.
He makes reference to DP leaders whose campaigns in 2016 he funded and says DP was able to win many positions in Masaka because of the comprehensive reconciliation process he initiated. He says that Masaka-wide reconciliation efforts which saw him host 8 big meetings cost him Shs800m. He says just like Mpuuga and his ilk do, many DP leaders in Masaka had concentrated on making eloquent speeches on radio in which they abuse other leaders and it was him who guided them on which actions to take to win those positions they now hold. He also brags to have contributed to making Mpuuga a successful DP flag bearer. He says before he offered leadership, the DP Masaka fraternity was politically orphaned. “It was me who called 8 reconciliation meetings. People met through the night and it cost me Shs800m. I’m the one who got Jude Mbabali from Bukoto Central and made him stand for the LC5 seat. He said they must have hired you to divert me from running against Sekandi. He said I don’t even have the money and I said here it is. I funded his campaigns and all these others DP chairpersons who won. I have funded DP candidates for LC1 and I even funded Mpuuga.” Mbidde says he did so much to get Mpuuga elected including conniving to lie voters that the candidate (Mpuuga) hadbeen poisoned. “I funded his rally in Kayirikiti in Nyendo [when Mpuuga was absent] and that was my money. He is now like someone who uses a ladder to see something far and begins praising himself to be taller than the ladder. He has a chance to fall in grace and I’m the ladder he needs to climb down,” Mbidde proudly said of Mpuuga. He said his Mbidde Foundation has a lot of money and it’s the one he is going to be using to mobilize people for economic projects in the entire Municipality and that he won’t discriminate between NRM and DP supporters. For the start, he said, his Mbidde Foundation was going to fund victory parties for all newly elected LC chairpersons in the Municipality including those who profess NRM. He will personally be attending these parties and use them to test his popularity as the incoming MP for the Municipality. “We must reorganize Masaka because it’s ours. It’s all we have. Nobody is going to intimidate us,” said Mbidde who also claimed to have bought fishing boats for fishermen in Kalangala using his Foundation which said has capacity to raise any amount of money. He said he wants celebration parties to be held in all the three Divisions of Masaka because he hates leading people who are materially unhappy. “Leadership means happiness and let’s enjoy ourselves because God has made us leaders. You are the giraffes of Masaka. You must seek refuge in me because I’m the right leader. Don’t take our people in wrong camps where they will regret. We shall have many meetings between now and February 2021. I have started. Some meetings will be in mosques, churches, people’s homes and hotels so that we discuss development.You people need financial empowerment and you just need selfless leaders who can invest in you and I’m going to show you money as Masaka leaders. I’m the kamuje who is going to eat all the ground nuts. You can’t stop kamuje from eating ground nuts. He has to eat them each time he gets hungry,” said Mbidde attracting applause. He urged the Masaka leaders to emulate their counterparts in Mbarara who are always united and development-oriented “because we can’t keep in politics all the time.” He said in EALA where he works, he is very powerful because as a Commissioner, he is the one who determines the EALA Speaker’s emoluments. “I’m also the chief lawyer for the Community,” said Mbidde who also bragged about having a law firm in his own names which he said is proof he is a fully fledged lawyer. He said of Mpuuga: “I respect other people unlike him. He is like an insect that hits itself on the bulb until it’s burnt to death. He is politically very unhygienic.”For comments, call,text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.
