By Aggrey Baba
Mawogola South MP Oswald Dez Byuma once left General Muhoozi Kainerugaba with six unanswered phone calls as he concentrated on his campaign, a revelation that Kasambya County MP David Kabanda says demonstrates just how closely the PLU chairman has followed politics in the Ssembabule constituency.
Kabanda made the revelation earlier this week at the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) chairman’s office in Nakasero, where Byuma joined a growing stream of MPs, political leaders and supporters turning up to endorse Gen Muhoozi’s 2031 presidential bid and sign the movement’s endorsement registers.
According to Kabanda, the incident happened during the run-up to the 2026 elections when he was conducting political operations in Lyantonde.
He said Gen Muhoozi had repeatedly tried to reach Byuma, who was then busy campaigning in Mawogola South.
“He called him like six times but he wasn’t picking up. He was busy campaigning. Then he called and told me, ‘I’m calling Dez but he is not picking up,’” Kabanda narrated.
The Kasambya County MP said Muhoozi subsequently asked him where he was and he explained that he was in Lyantonde and that it was close to Ssembabule.
“He asked me if where I was near Ssembabule and I told him yes. Then he told me to go and find him,” Kabanda recalled, further adding that he drove to Ssembabule and eventually found Byuma in Matete, where he handed him the phone and spoke to Muhoozi.
Byuma then reportedly held a conversation with Gen Muhoozi lasting about two hours. “When they finished, Dez told me that we have already won this election,” Kabanda said.
The episode, for Kabanda, was more than a campaign anecdote, as he used it to argue that Gen MK had taken a keen interest in Byuma’s political fortunes long before the current mobilization for his 2031 presidential bid.
“That alone shows you how deeply General Muhoozi was interested in Mawogola North constituency,” Kabanda said, before commending Byuma for deciding to publicly support the very man who believed in, and supported him when things were tough.
“So it’s good that you too have come to support him [MK]. Let’s go on with supporting him until he becomes the president of Uganda,” he added.
Hon. Byuma, who is the NRM MP for Mawogola County in Ssembabule, defeated NUP’s Gorette Namuga in the January 2026 general election. The contest was a rematch of their 2021 battle, when Namuga defeated Byuma and became the first Opposition MP elected from Ssembabule since the district was carved out of Masaka.
Namuga has since challenged Byuma’s victory in court, with the case listed as Namuga Gorette versus Byuma Oswald Dez over the Mawogola South MP seat. The dispute is among the election petitions scheduled for hearing at the High Court in Masaka.
Byuma’s appearance at the PLU chairman’s office now places him among the growing number of politicians openly rallying behind Muhoozi’s proposed 2031 presidential bid.
PLU launched a nationwide signature collection drive at the beginning of this month, with the movement saying it is targeting approximately 20 million endorsements for Muhoozi. Endorsement registers have since been distributed across the country, with the signatures expected to be presented to Gen Muhoozi at a December 20 ceremony at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.
The campaign has already attracted MPs, ministers and other political actors. In Greater Masaka, for example, Masaka City NRM chairman Rodgers Buregyeya recently received signature books at the PLU chairman’s office for mobilization across the region.
The PLU exercise follows the movement’s public push to position Gen Muhoozi for the 2031 presidency. The organization is seeking an exceptionally large number of signatures as it builds a nationwide political mobilization network. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
