OPINION:
I HAVE followed posts and commentaries from FDC social media activists plus some prominent figures like Hon Betty Nambooze about the KCCA speaker elections.
I penned an article previously stating how I opposed the Lord Mayor taking sides in that election and predicted the likely outcome. Abubakar Kawalya’s win was so painful to the losers and the commentaries that have followed the loss have exonerated my optimism.
There is a group of people in opposition that have made it their business to tarnish people’s names to earn themselves political capital. Hon Nambooze is one of them.
In her consolation letter to Doreen Nyanjura and her camp at KCCA tilted, “sometimes we lose in order to win,” the honourable MP intimated that those that supported Kawalya Abubakar are NRM in opposition uniform. And that Mr Museveni has always wanted to defeat Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago but found allies in Kawalya supporters.
Such rhetoric is meant to earn political capital by tarnishing others. This is sadistic.
When I read her commentary, my minds ran to the incident where she appeared on CBS Radio and started to bad-mouth my party president for sitting with Gen Muntu and Hon Mao to deliberate on issues to do with opposition unity.
JEEMA Youth League Vice Chairperson wrote to her an open letter and wondered how the holy spirit descended on Museveni government to amend the KCCA law to add the political wing more powers yet yesterday they were planning to have the Mayor elected amongst councillors.
She wondered how the government softened that most of the amendments were proposed by Hon Nambooze and the government Chief Whip only conceded to the amendments.
In Mrs Nambooze’s reply, she wondered why fellow opposition can feel so bad if they snatch anything from the Junta! It’s saddening that today Nambooze calls those that get concessions from NRM as NRM in opposition. Is her group the only one that get concessions from NRM but others can’t if it’s true?
I have spoken to different NRM councillors and told me they voted for my colleague Nyanjura Doreen and that there were serious talks between their leader in council (chief whip), Buruhan Byaruhanga and Hon Nambooze.
The hurried congratulatory message from the NRM Secretary General, Hon Kasule Lumumba was calculated to paint a picture that NRM had a hand in Kawalya’s victory and thereafter taint people power in the public eye because Kawalya identified himself as a people power supporter.
Lastly, even if there were engagements between Kawalya and NRM councillors or Hon Nambooze and Buruhan Byaruhanga to secure a win for her candidate, I call upon colleagues in the struggle to desist from the temptation of using such relationships to demonize our compatriots.
There is no wrong in mobilising NRM colleagues to achieve our objectives. In general elections, I always see NRM people campaigning for opposition and vice versa. In 2016, Hon Muwanga Kivumbi supported Hajat Aisha Kabanda and in many areas, that was the case. We should not sow seeds of hatred because we have to prove the correctness of our grouping.
The writer Ssentongo Kyamundu is the spokesperson of Justice Forum/JEEMA. Reach him on: 0772 675 957
