By Our Reporters
In 2012, the NRM party painfully lost their Butambala County MP Seat after indomitable Muwanga Kivumbi floored their Faizal Kikulukunyu in that year’s by-elections. Since that time efforts have been on to revitalize the ruling party whose 2nd in command Al-Hajji Moses Kigongo hails from Butambala along with other party heavyweights like Prof Badru Kateregga who famously funded the NRA war through the external wing in Nairobi. Like they did in Mukono in 2010 (neutralizing Betty Nambooze by splitting Mukono North into two-Municipality and one other Constituency for Ronald Kibule), the ruling party strategists have finalized a plan to neutralize Kivumbi by creating Butambala North and South. This will take effect before 2021. With full blessing of both Kigongo and party chairman YK Museveni, the process is on and the mobilization to popularize this demand is being spearheaded by flamboyant Mike Mukula. The idea is to mobilize residents and opinion leaders to make the demand so that it appears spontaneous and thereafter get the district leadership make a council resolution ratifying the same. Mukula has already been to Butambala under the guise of presiding over “NRM reorganization” meetings during which the idea is being discussed. At the last meeting, one of the senior cadres from Kampala who had come with Mukula tactfully tabled the proposal and got many seconders including Faizal Kikulukunyu who is the NRM Chairman for Butambala which is one of the few districts with one county or constituency in Buganda region. Kivumbi’s influence became a concern to the central government after he overwhelmed the President’s Private Secretary Aisha Kabanda Nalule to decamp. Outspoken Kabanda has lately been denouncing NRM while professing People Power to which she defected months ago accusing NRM of obscurantism and intrigue. Kabanda got angry when NRM heavyweights shunned her and supported independent Daphine Lydia Mirembe simply because she is a beautiful lady. She went to court and still ended up unsuccessful after Mirembe’s godfathers engaged judges deflating her petition. NRM can’t take the Butambala situation for granted because the Kivumbi mobilization and its impact is beginning to spread to nearby districts like Gomba which is home to Museveni’s private ranch in Kisozi. Bobi Wine too hails from Gomba where young people are increasingly becoming radicalized.
BACK TO BUTAMBALA
To ensure it doesn’t seem like the regime is panicking over Muwanga, James Kakooza’s Kabula Lyantonde is also being proposed for splitting so that one more constituency is created. The Butambala split will most likely go through because leaders seem unanimous that it’s long overdue. Woman MP Mirembe vehemently supports it because it will divert Kabanda Nalule to go for one of the constituencies leaving her breathing space in 2021. LC5 Chairman Bavekuno Mafumu, who has been campaigning for Muwanga’s MP Seat, too wants the split so that he campaigns in a smaller territory. Naturally Kivumbi too stands to benefit campaigning in fewer Sub Counties. Kikulukunyu (who is always seen at Wandegeya’s Sebankyaye restaurant) too badly wants the split because it eases his efforts to bounce back as MP after many years in the cold. At the last reorganization meeting, Mukula told the NRM cadres that this discussion had been blessed by Kigongo and Abdul Nadduli who matters because he is the NRM Chairman for Buganda region. In absence of many strong opposition candidates to overcome Kikulukunyu, the NRM is certain that splitting Butambala will neutralize and check on Muwanga Kivumbi’s influence there. It’s also an opportunity to numerically regain what they lost when Kivumbi became MP in 2012 following a by-election that was characterized by Mathias Walukaga’s Bantu Bakoowu lyrics. The song was then selling like hot cake because it was a newly released hit which had similar impact in Alintuma Nsambu/Mathias Nsubuga’s Bukoto South Constituency. For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.
