By Mulengera Reporters
The ruling NRM party will this Friday publicly unveil Faridah Nambi, a daughter to their 1st national vice chairman Moses Kigongo, as their flag bearer to take on whoever the opposition will be fronting for the Kawempe North MP Seat which fell vacant this very month following the death of Mohammed Segirinya.
The Faridah Nambi choice was arrived at through consensus though some of the intending aspirants like George Mutumba broke down and shed tears before EC Chairman Tanga Odoi and mobilisation chief Rosemary Seninde. Hanifah Karadi rejected the Kyaddondo-imposed consensus and vowed to stay in the race and fight on as an independent.
Knowledgeable sources say that Gen Museveni is convinced that once NRM rallies behind one candidate while inciting divisions and clandestinely sponsoring or allying with multiple candidates from the opposition, the 13th March Kawempe North by-election can replicate for the ruling party the Peter Sematimba moment of 2008 when the Super FM boss capitalised on a divided opposition and unexpectedly won the Rubaga Division Mayoral seat and occupied it up to 2011 when he unsuccessfully ran for Kampala Lord Mayor ship which he lost to Kizza Besigye-backed Erias Lukwago.
Sources add that, in that same spirit, the determined Museveni is more than prepared to generously accommodate and get juicy government jobs for whoever bows out of the race and hand over their political support to the flag bearer. And in the same vein, the Faridah Nambi campaign is going to be well funded in return for the desired electoral outcomes.
Gen Museveni rightly believes that a win in Kawempe North will create momentum for him going into his reelection for 2026 while at the same time creating huge contradictions that will further fracture the NUP political base while at the same time demoralising them only months to the next general elections.
Already of the 16 aspirants menacingly looking at the Seat, seven are professing NUP and these include Alex Lusswa Luwemba the deceased’s former PA, Umar Magala, lawyer Nalukoola Luyimbazi, Mathias Mulumba, Saul Kulya Zziwa, Dr. Ismail Matovu and Salim Serunkuma.
Many of them are unprepared to accept party primary outcomes as long as it’s not them getting the flag. Already, there is a lot of disinformation aimed at discrediting the NUP candidate-selection exercise. Jaberi Bidandi Ssali’s PPP has Ismail Musiitwa and Katonga/PFF has Mohamed Mutazindwa Sweet Cake who in 2021 stood but badly trailed behind Segirinya.
From the NRM, the following had expressed interested though they are now out of the equation in favor of Faridah Nambi: the very beautiful Juliet Namale, Ali Jjemba, Samuel Katabazi Sankara and Sam Kawooya Kigongo. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
