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New faces join battle for Jinja NRM mayoral seat primaries
What you need to know:
- A number of political figures were pivotal in Jinja’s long quest for a city status, which was eventually endorsed on July 1, but have shunned the election.
As cities prepare for National Resistance Movement (NRM) mayoral primaries set for Friday, the Jinja City race has attracted little known candidates and hardly bears the cast of political actors who lobbied for its transformation from municipality into a city.
A number of political figures were pivotal in Jinja’s long quest for a city status, which was eventually endorsed on July 1, but have shunned the election.
Such figures include Muhammad Baswari Kezaala, Uganda’s deputy ambassador to India, Mr David Wakudumira, a former mayor, Mr Daudi Migereko, the chairperson of Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) and Mr Nathan Igeme Nabeta, the Jinja East MP NRM aspirant.
Others are Mr Majid Batambuze, the Jinja City interim mayor, Mr Fredrick Gume, the State minister for Cooperatives, Mr Titus Kisambira, the Jinja District chairperson, and the late Ruth Tuma, former Jinja Woman MP, among others.
Instead Mr Julius Zziwa, Mr Jeff Bidandi and Mr Robert Kanusu will battle for the seat.
The winner is expected to battle Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) candidate, Dr Frank Nabwiso and Independents, who will show interest.
Mr Batambuze has opted to run for the Jinja East constituency Member of Parliament (MP) seat, in which he lost in the primaries to Mr Nabeta by 4,401 votes, raising questions on why he did not stick to the mayoral race.
Mr Batambuze did not respond to our WhatsApp and ordinary text messages on Tuesday, but it is alleged that he was misled into vying for the Jinja East MP seat, thinking that Mr Nabeta would not contest.
An aerial view of Jinja City. The NRM mayoral city race has attracted little known candidates. PHOTO | COURTESY PHOTO
“Mr Batambuze was misled by some of his supporters into thinking that Mr Nabeta wasn’t going to contest. Remember Mr Nabeta kept many people guessing on whether he was going to stand and even the forms for his candidature were picked on the last day,” one of his supporters, who declined to be named, said.
Mr Kezaala said: “East or West, home is best and I will be back at the opportune time. Diplomatic service is good experience but home is always best.”
He added that all the people who have shown interest in the Jinja City mayoral seat have been in politics long enough and he does not doubt their capacity.
Mr Kezaala said what is important, is to give the winner quality councillors and a result-oriented technical team.
“Funding of these new cities will be cardinal as it will require a lot of planning, especially the annexed areas and extending services to those areas. Whatever the type of leadership, without corresponding funding to the dictates of a city, it will all be vanity,” he further said.
Mr Kezaala’s statements carry semblance with those of Mr Migereko, who said as a community, there is need to invest in identifying, mentoring and supporting quality leadership.
“If Jinja is to take off as a city, the people we choose to be our leaders will make all the difference and for that matter, the ongoing exercise of electing leaders needs to be taken seriously,” he said.
Mr Kezaala added that he hatched the idea (for Jinja to gain city status), popularised it, put all formalities in place and Mr Batambuze came in as a surrogate mother.
“Maybe because surrogates are not allowed to nurture kids, let alone have a glance at them, possibly it’s the reason he had to switch position to a parliamentary race,” he said.
Mr Wakudumira, who has been widely rumoured to contest, yesterday said he has intentions of contesting as an Independent but he is still doing some consultations.
“It is true I am one of those people who started advocating for Jinja City and will be concerned to see that we get good leadership in the start of the new city.
“If we start in a weak manner, the city may develop problems taking off when it would be competing with other cities. The name alone can’t bring good fruits, but needs good leadership,” Mr Wakudumira said.
Mr Wakudumira, while making his case for the city status in 2007, said: “The issue of upgrading Jinja City is a people’s idea, which should not be mixed with politics. The role of political leaders should be to guide the masses and push the idea to a logical conclusion.”
He added that his colleagues, who have not picked interest in Jinja City mayorship, must be looking at the challenges.
“It is now very expensive to stand for mayor in this expanded area,” he said.
Julius Zziwa
He is a former police officer and the current Jinja Municipality NRM chairperson.
Mr Zziwa’s fame came in May 2018 when he was arrested for allegedly deserting the Uganda Police Force.
He, however, maintains that he was being deemed a deserter because he decided to participate in the 2015 NRM party primaries after spending time without being deployed.
The then Kiira Regional Police Spokesperson, Mr Onesmus Mwesigwa, while confirming Mr Zziwa’s arrest, said they had been looking for him for several months for deserting police yet he was still receiving salary as an Assistant Inspector of police.
After recording a statement at Jinja Police Station, Mr Zziwa told journalists that he retired from the Force in 2013 and wondered why his former employer was arresting him.
On February 19, 2018, he wrote to the Jinja District Labour Officer complaining about “unfair suspension from duty” and “delayed conclusion of investigations into cases filed against him”, describing charges as a violation of his rights, career and public service standing orders.
Robert Kanusu
Mr Kanusu was a Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) supporter, who transcended his mandate as political aide to then party president, Mr Olara Otunnu.
However, all that changed on March 13, 2018 during Mr Nabeta’s rally as the NRM party flag bearer in the Jinja East Constituency by-election at which President Museveni was chief guest.
At that rally, the NRM secretary general, Mr Justine Kasule Lumumba, paraded more than 20 people believed to have defected from Opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).
However, the biggest moment of applause came when Mr Museveni called out, “someone from UPC to greet”, Mr Kanusu showed up; and while sharing a podium with the President, he pledged his allegiance to the NRM party and government of President Museveni.
Defectors are usually rewarded with presidential appointments; however, Mr Kanusu has never been rewarded.
Once Mr Kanusu emerges victorious in the NRM Jinja City mayoral primaries, he will have to convince voters that he is not a traitor.
Jeff Bidandi
Not much is known about Mr Bidandi except that he is involved in tourism transportation or coordinating tourism business.
