By Mulengera Reporters
At a recent meeting at Hotel Africana where the top NRM leadership in Buganda tried to cajole party primary election losers to bow out and rally behind flag bearers, AG Kiwanuka Kiryowa (who is the patron of ‘Buganda on Museveni’ campaign initiative) was arrogantly confronted by lawyer David Kintu who vowed to remain in the race unless the Shs300m he claimed to have invested in the fight against eventual winner Fred Ruhindi is refunded.
Speaking during the plenary session late in the evening, Kintu bragged about being a member of something called “Caucus for Independents” whose members he said were ready to remain in the race and fight to the very bitter end in order to ensure that the so-called flag bearers, who rigged them out, are decisively defeated.
He castigated Luwero’s Faridah Nakalawa who had just bowed out in favour of the flag bearer. Kintu, speaking immediately after her, castigated Nakalawa for committing treason against fellow members in the Caucus for independents. He called her act total betrayal.
Kintu also castigated the more than 80 primary election losers who bowed out of the independent bid during that Africana meeting and declared support for flag bearers, and dismissed them as unserious. He demanded to know from the 80 how any of them can just get excited attending Kiryowa’s meeting, enjoying refreshments and eating nice food and thereafter proceed to accept to be cajoled out of the race at mere promise of being taken to meet the President.
David Kintu called this unprincipled politics and assured Kiryowa how mere sitting at Africana to listen to flowery speeches would never diminish anger nor heal the wounds that were inflicted by vote rigging on members belonging to the Caucus of independents and their respective supporters. He demanded that Kiryowa, Haruna Kasolo, Rose Namayanja and other organizers should show respect for all those whose wins were rigged by calling them to a special meeting as opposed to ramping them together with those who tormented their victory.
Kintu’s rhetoric incited people in the audience to the extent that some of those who had bowed out and put down their names saying they had bowed, were seen exhibiting remorse and trying to change their mind and remain in the race. This didn’t seem to go down well with AG KK who had spent much of the entire day pleading with cadres to embrace flag bearers and abandon plans to stand as independents.
At KK’s instigation, outgoing Buganda region NRM Chairman Godfrey Kiwanda had read out a long list of constituencies which NUP won in 2021 simply because NRM had multiple candidates in the race who split the votes. These included Lugazi & Njeru Municipalities in Buikwe district; Bbale & Ntenjeru Counties in Kayunga, Kafeero Sekitoleko’s Nakifuuma County in Mukono, Kalungu East of Vincent Sempijja, Kasanda South in Kasanda etc. Kiwanda had figures and the gazette publicizing the 2021 results from which he kept quoting.
Leveraging on those Kiwanda statistics, Kiryowa implored all well meaning NRM cadres in the audience to “become humble and respectful” and begin to realize that no one can ever be bigger than the party especially at this politically very sensitive moment. He said it was clear from Kiwanda’s statistics that NRM would not have lost more than 20 MP Seats which it’s incumbents were holding as of 2021 if it wasn’t for the problem of intrigue which saw multiple independents remain in the race to split the ruling NRM’s vote and thereby paving way for the NUPians.
KK specifically responded to the provocation, pride and insensitivity with which the youthful David Kintu spoke and called on those present not to take the new Buganda region Chairman Haruna Kasolo’s decency and humility to call them for the consultative meeting at Hotel Africana to imply weakness on part of the ruling party’s apex leadership.
He said NRM top leadership has lots of levers inside its toolkit and using the carrot approach of calling them for such a meeting was just one of them. Saying he wasn’t prepared to be intimidated by the insensitive rhetoric similar to what David Kintu put out during the plenary session, Kiryowa made it clear that there is no one the ruling NRM party can’t stop or overcome when it comes to winning elections in this country. This cowed many in the audience and made Kintu to become deflated.
Kiryowa said he was ready to help arrange for the flag bearers to meet the President and ask for alternative deployment provided that each one of them remains honest, “humble and respectful.”
He said he wouldn’t give in to blackmail and extortionist demands similar to those that were being made by Kintu at the meeting. KK also made it clear he was here to merely help out in amplifying wins for NRM flag bearers as a volunteer and not because he owed anyone anything. He said his only voter is Gen YK Museveni at whose pleasure he serves as Cabinet Minister, unlike many in the audience who must win the popular vote first before earning their place at the decision-making table.
Away from David Kintu’s defiance, several would-be independents denounced disobedience and declared readiness to bow out to rally behind flag bearers. The more than 80 who bowed out and signed up to the list of those KK promised to take to the President included KACITA leader Dr. Thadeus Musoke who endorsed the party flag bearer for the Kampala Lord Mayor position and Joy Kabatsi who Sembabule party chairman Gen Phenihas Katirima announced had pulled out in favour of Gen Rwashande.
However, later on Kabatsi qualified her exit from the race saying it will strictly be on condition that she privately meets the President and explain to him how Rashande rigged her victory for Rwemiyaga County flag bearer.
Others were Elijah Owobusobozi, an old friend, who KK praised for his patriotism which saw him indicate readiness to bow out in favour of NRM Makindye East flag bearer Judith Nawabeine and Fatia Nakamya who indicated readiness to rally behind Kawempe South MP seat flag bearer Nsereko Madina.
Basoga Nshadu’s daughter pulled out of the Mukono North race but implored her rival Ronald Kibule the flag bearer to refrain from spreading falsehoods that he had paid her to step down and rally behind him.
The flag bearer for Kalungu Woman MP Seat was also present and begged KK to use his might to force Minister Aisha Sekindi, who is running as an independent, out of the race so that she defeats NUP properly. Sekindi was present at the meeting and uneasily turned in her seat as the flag bearer babe, believed to be a proxy for her rival Vincent Sempijja, made her case before KK and other powerful officials.
In Buvuma County, long-serving Robert Migadde’s rival made it clear he can only bow out if flag bearer Migadde stops his intrigue and begins respecting him. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
