By Mulengera Reporters
Nakaseke County Central in Nakaseke district has always been a stronghold area for the ruling NRM party because it’s in the heart of Luwero Triangle from where the NRA five year (1981-1986) bush war, which brought Museveni to power, was waged.
For a long time, the biggest NRM kingmaker there was Syda Bbumba Namirembe who gradually was weakened by big man Paulson Lutamaguzi Ssemakula before eventually being sent to the political Taiwan during the 2021 general elections.
When Lutamaguzi became too strong, Museveni shielded his then powerful Minister Syda Bbumba by spliting the Constituency for the DP man to go with Nakaseke South.
Nakaseke Central in 2021 saw Bbumba, representing a divided NRM, facing off with Kyagulanyi-backed Allan Mayanja of the NUP. Mayanja floored Bbumba and became the new area MP largely because the NRM had several independents, including Nadduli’s son Jakana, who split up the vote.
But as per now, Allan Mayanja (whose performance has largely been lukewarm) is facing an indomitable challenge and he will require divine intervention to survive, notwithstanding the NUP backing. The NRMs are convinced that they arguably are the majority and all they have to do is to come together, as opposed to being divided as was the case in 2021.
Kampala State Minister Christopher Kyofatogabye Kabuye, who has accumulated very good money, a war chest of some sort, with the active backing of his mentor Gen Salim Saleh, has emerged as the man to lead the NRM front in Nakaseke Central.
Kyofa’s original plan was to tackle Lutamaguzi Ssemakula in Nakaseke South but he backed off after NRM Deputy SG Rose Namayanja became uncomfortable because she prefers her husband, Mr. Nsereko, to be the one to carry the NRM flag against Lutamaguzi as he did in 2021.
Kyofa believes that the entire Nakaseke can gradually be redeemed and the opposition entirely gotten rid of but Nakaseke Central has to be used as the staging ground where he intends to command from.
Kyofa, who is understood to have made billions from Kampala deals and has a significant war chest, is already focusing his entire energy and attention on Nakaseke Central where the NRM people have received him with enthusiasm for being a fearless wordsmith who can effectively lead the NRM effort to push back against NUP.
However, Sophie Janet Kaikara, the Kinyogoga Sub County chief, believes she is better placed to lead the NRM front because she is on the ground and always with the people 24/7 more than Kampala-based Kyofa who resides in a posh residence along Mityana Road. Kaikara believes that Gen Saleh’s blue-eyed boy Kyofa must sweat and struggle to win before being allowed to have the NRM flag.
She is busy mobilising for support while popularising herself amongst NRM structure persons who she keeps telling that, being Kampala Minister, Kyofatogabye is already eating enough and should leave the MP Seat for someone else. There is huge optimism that the NRM party leadership will speak to Kaikara in good time so that their team captain Kyofa isn’t distracted from the main fight against NUP.
Nakaseke is one of the rapidly-urbanizing parts of Buganda region because of the industrialization Gen Salim Saleh has spearheaded there (closely working with Chinese Oligarchs) and the area’s general proximity to Kampala.
This simply means that the natural popular resistance against the not-so-very effective NRM regime, whose founder YK Museveni has been President for 40 years out of the 63 Uganda has been independent, can only keep growing, which puts the young people-dominated Kyagulanyi’s NUP party in a better position even before the campaigns officially begin. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
