Minister Kasolo makes U-turn, vows to reclaim Kyotera County MP seat in 2026
State Minister for Micro Finance, Haruna Kasolo arrives at Kasambya playground for the thanksgiving ceremony on October 27, 2024. PHOTO/ AMBROSE MUSASIZI
What you need to know:
- During the thanksgiving, Kasolo advised leaders at all levels to bury their hatches and work together for the development of the district.
- In 2021, Mr Kasolo was defeated by DP’s John Paul Mpalanyi Lukwago who scored 28,230 votes against the former’s 20,432 votes.
State Minister for Micro Finance, Mr Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo has declared that he will contest for the Kyotera County parliamentary seat in 2026 which he lost in the last election.
Mr Kasolo had in 2022 vowed never to go back to Kyotera, saying he was eying Bukoto Central Constituency in neighbouring Masaka District, a seat currently occupied by Democratic Party (DP)'s Richard Ssebamala.
At the time, the minister who had served as MP for 10 years (two elective terms) revealed that the electorate in Kyotera had betrayed him by voting a rival contestant.
However, during a thanksgiving ceremony at Kasambya playground, Kyotera Town Council on Sunday, Mr Kasolo said he would return to his home constituency with a bang.
“Many NRM supporters in Bukoto Central Constituency have been persuading me to stand in 2026 yet my people in Kyotera also need me. So, I have weighed both options and taken a bold decision to come back here [Kyotera] and reclaim my seat,” he said amid ululations from his supporters.
A section of voters in Kyotera had accused Mr Kasolo of being a proud man who rarely socialises with his electorate while others claimed that his involvement in many local fights with other stakeholders in the district, including the district chairperson, Mr Patrick Kintu Kisekulo cost him politically.
During the thanksgiving, Kasolo advised leaders at all levels to bury their hatches and work together for the development of the district.
“It hurts me when I move around and see bad roads, filth in our town when we can work together to change things,” he said.
Mr Kasolo has since 2020 had a lukewarm relationship with Mr Kisekulo and some ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) stalwarts in the area.
The minister has since the last election put huge investments in Masaka in the City raising speculations that he had switched constituencies.
He has in the past couple of years organised football tournaments in Bukoto Central and also injected millions of shillings in various community groups in the area. He had also shifted his Kasolo Foundation offices from Kyotera to Masaka.
Some of his investments are Solo Hites Hotel and a bottled water company both located in Masaka City.
In 2021, Mr Kasolo was defeated by DP’s John Paul Mpalanyi Lukwago who scored 28,230 votes against the former’s 20,432 votes.
National Unity Platform (NUP)’s Charles Lwanga Kirumira garnered 4,004 votes, Adam Tebajwa of Jeema got 430 votes while independents Livingstone Ssali and Selegious Ndalike scored 277 and 59 votes respectively.
