By Our Reporters
Former Presidential candidate Sam Lubega Mukaku says he is politically not worried of Mr. Yusuf Nsibambi, the Makerere law don, who recently declared interest in becoming Mawokota South MP come 2021. Nsibambi, who is also an FDC founding member, is a panelist on CBS’ Saturday program Parliament Yaffe which he has been using to publicize his political ambitions. Having trailed in 2011 Presidential Elections, where he stood on independent ticket against many other contestants including his DP Party President Norbert Mao, Mukaku in 2016 stood for Mawokota South MP Seat under the Go-Forward platform. He trailed behind eventual winner JB Lubyayi of NRM and Kenneth Kiyingi Bbosa who he says was Nsibambi’s proxy candidate. In a phone interview earlier today, Mukaku told this news website that “Nsibambi lacks the political experience and swag needed to win in an area that is dominated by DP and NRM.” To illustrate more on the swag, Mukaku said: “I will give you the example of Bobi Wine. He isn’t from Mawokota but is known by more people there than Yusuf Nsibambi. So the swag is a big factor in today’s politics. Yes he is from Mawokota but his influence and visibility has been more in social charitable causes than in politics. If asked, one would struggle to explain Nsibambi’s political history and participation in Mawokota. I have been there longer and people know how much I have suffered for the political struggle. We need collegiality and mutual respect in politics whereby we must respect comrades in the struggle. I have always had a good relationship with Nsibambi and I consider him an ally even in our [UYD/DP] reunion politics. I only heard him announce his interest in Mawokota on radio and when we met and I asked him, he wasn’t clear in his answer. Now that has been the Besigye brand of politics of disrespecting and humiliating colleagues. That way Besigye has destroyed many colleagues politically. I expect Nsibambi to be better than Besigye but we shall cross the bridge when we get there,” Mukaku said. Asked about his previous political failures seeking Parliamentary seats in Kawempe North, Busiro East and more recently Mawokota where he stood for MP Seat and performed dismally, Mukaku said: “That doesn’t matter. Politics changes according to the dynamics. The voters may say this is time for the one who has suffered most and has been in the struggle longest. They may say this is Buganda and DP must take Mawokota as FDC takes Rukungiri. It’s like me going to stand in Rukungiri when I’m on the DP ticket. I will stand no chance there. People expect FDC to be strong in Rukungiri and DP to be strong in Mawokota which is in Buganda and it’s a strong Catholic area. He [Nsibambi] could end up like [FDC Bugiri candidate Eunice] Namatende. They were saying she stands a better chance and Basalirwa isn’t on the ground. But things change and this is why Asuman Basalirwa [whose campaign Mukaku is leading] is clearly winning this election yet he wasn’t strong in previous elections. It sometimes depends on who is behind you and my past performance shouldn’t be a yardstick because 5 years is too long in politics.” Mukaku was in the Bugiri political trenches as he fielded our questions-because he says he is the overall strategist for the Asuman Basalirwa campaign.
IT’S FOR DP;
Insisting that because Mawokota is in Buganda and is a strong Catholic area then DP must have upper hand there, Mukaku advised Nsibambi to join DP to increase his electability chances. “It’s a DP area and I don’t know how he will get even a campaign team unless he defects to DP but even then it’s not enough for him to be rich. We shall subject him to the DP primaries before he becomes our flag bearer. Being rich is okay but it doesn’t make you politically successful. You can be rich but politically unpopular and that is why Sudhir Ruparelia, who owns many things, can’t defeat my brother Erias Lukwago in Kampala. Lukwago is a poor man and has just put up a small house in Wakaliga but he is the one people like in Kampala and not Sudhir. That is politics and my brother [Nsibambi] can have his factory and employ many people but it’s not enough,” said Mukaku when focused on the great things Nsibambi has materially done for the area including establishing the job-creating ceramics factory and spearheading fundraising efforts for hospitals like Nkozi. Mukaku maintained that whereas competition is very okay “and Nsibambi’s coming enhances the quality of politics in Mawokota,” the city lawyer’s impending MP candidature “shows how ungrateful some of our colleagues can be to people who have given their all to the anti-Museveni struggle.” He said the fact that Kenneth Kiyingi Bbosa couldn’t win in 2016 is indicative of the extent to which Yusuf Nsibambi is after all not a game changer in Mawokota. “It’s okay let him come and we compete but it’s my hope that he doesn’t invest in political mischief so that our contest turns out ugly like that of Kiyingi and Lubyayi. I will expect him to condemn violence, not monetize the elections and to also condemn witchcraft in Mawokota politics because we have a long history together. He knows me and I know him well. Let this seat not make us enemies.” Mukaku predicted that even when he is politically being despised by Nsibambi’s supporters, he could make history and surprise everybody like the then much despised Nasser Sebaggala (he was never Mukaku’s man) did in 1998 when he floored wealthier candidates like Wasswa Birigwa who many considered to be more prolific than Seya. Mukaku added that however much Nsibambi feels he is a super candidate, even over qualified for the MP Seat like some of his supporters have insinuated, “he will need a party platform which has to either be DP or NRM because the people of Mawokota can’t just be swayed by mere individual merit.” Asked if he would consider being reimbursed and bow out for Nsibambi or go for another position, Mukaku emphatically said: “My friend I’m Samuel Walter Lubega Mukaku and I’m above such politics of pettiness. I’m in this for a cause and conviction.” He said FDC adherents like Yusuf Nsibambi must prepare to learn hard lessons “from the shocker that is going to come from Bugiri and accordingly adjust their politics.” He added that: “Bugiri is going to teach them the dangers of underestimating anyone in politics.” Even when he has been failing to make himself king since 2001, Mukaku has increasingly distinguished himself as the giant leading the successful campaigns in Kyaddondo East, Jinja East and now Bugiri where is understood to respectively have successfully delivered Bobi Wine (aka Kyagulanyi Sentamu), Paul Mwiru and (he claims) soon Asuman Basalirwa. Understandably these impressive yet hard won electoral victories are giving Mukaku confidence that he can politically thump Sr Counsel Yusuf Nsibambi in Mawokota South. Indeed he sounded confident and unintimidated throughout the interview. For comments, call/text/whatsapp us on 0703164755.
