By Mulengera Reporters
With more than 50% of Ugandans convinced that its high time their country got its first female President, a survey conducted in 45 districts of Uganda has indicated that at least 4% of Ugandans see Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng as being among the 5 finest Ugandan women leaders one of whom can make a good President for Uganda.
A group of researchers commissioned by Vision Group went across the country and asked random Ugandans who they see as best choice to be Uganda’s next President assuming that consensus had been reached that the Pearl of Africa’s next Head of State has to be a woman. 4% of those sampled, without even being prompted or induced with leading questions, spontaneously chose the Lira City Woman MP (Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng).
Others who were rated favorably included the Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja (12.9%), Rebecca Kadaga (11.1%), Speaker Anita Among (8%) and Vice President Jessica Alupo (7.1%). Aceng came in number five with 3.9% of the 6,006 respondents showing preference for her.
Quite remarkably, Aceng was rated favorably ahead of UNAIDS ED Winnie Byanyima (3.4%), Betty Nambooze (3.1%), 2021 Presidential Candidate Nancy Kalembe (2.5%), ex-LoP Winnie Kiiza (2.1%), IGG Beti Kamya (1.8%), Miria K Matembe (1.7%), Phiona Nyamutoro (0.9%), Maurine Osoru (0.5%) and Gender Minister Betty Amongi (0.5%). First Lady Janet Museveni who, like all the others referenced during the opinion polling exercise, has never indicated anywhere that she wants to be President, was preferred by 1.9%.
Nabanja was preferred mostly by respondents from Western Uganda (19.2%) and those from Buganda (17.7%). Alupo and Kadaga were strongest in their native Eastern region. Kadaga had 24% of respondents in Eastern Uganda saying she is the one they would like to see become Uganda’s first female President.
Aceng, who only joined politics and became an active politician barely 5 years ago (in 2020), had highest support in the Northern part of Uganda where she hails from. 16% of the respondents in that region were unequivocal that she is the one they would like to see become Uganda’s first female President.
Nambooze and Kamya were strongest in Buganda as Byanyima, Janet Kataha, Winnie Kiiza and Matembe had strongest preference in Western region where they hail from.
Whereas 10.4% of the male respondents sampled indicated that Uganda was ready for a female President, it stood at 9.7% among women. Yet 27% of male respondents vehemently objected to the idea of their country ever being led by a female President.
Regionally, Buganda showed the highest readiness to accept a female President for Uganda and the idea was least popular in Western Uganda where 50% of those sampled categorically objected to the same. Overall, 47% of the respondents in the whole country registered strong objection and unequivocally said no to such idea.
During past surveys (leading up to 2016 & 2021 general elections campaigns) by the same media platform, Ugandans who expressed readiness to accept and vote for a female President chose Kadaga (who was then Speaker of Parliament), Janet Museveni, Jennifer Musisi, Nambooze, Winnie Byanyima, Miria Matembe, Salaam Musumba, ex-Arua Woman MP Christine Abia, ex-PPS Amelia Kyambadde, founding FDC Secretary General Alice Alaso, ex-LoP Betty Aol and Kayunga Woman MP Ida Nantaba.
Of the 6,006 respondents targeted for the survey, urban dwellers were 3,573 and rural dwellers 2,433. A significant number of the respondents were young adults aged between 25 and 29 years (1,201). 1,058 were aged 30-34 and of the 6,006 sampled, only 19 refused to cooperate and declined answering any of the questions put before them.
Vision Group’s Editor-in-Chief Barbra Kaija defended the survey as very credible as no one in government was ever able to influence it or how it was conducted at all.
Kaija, whose media company has done many surveys over the last 25 years and ended up being vindicated by the actual voting patterns, insists that what was unearthed represents the genuine public sentiments out there regarding who the citizens would wish to see become their country’s first ever female President. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
