The Nyendo-Mukungwe Division parliamentary seat in Masaka City is expected to be one of the hotly contested constituencies in the country.
The incumbent, Mr Mathias Mpuuga, is seeking a fourth term amid strong challenges from Mr Gyaviira Lubowa Ssebina of the National Unity Platform (NUP) and Ms Racheal Nakitende of the National Resistance Movement (NRM).
Two other people, Kampala City-based lawyer Sam Muyizzi, and Ms Alice Nannungi, the incumbent Woman Councillor representing Nyendo-Mukungwe Division, who were eyeing the same seat, pulled out in favour of Mr Ssebina. Mr Mpuuga, began this term on a high note following his appointment as a Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP) by NUP, a mandate he executed with commitment and earned himself praise for his leadership.
His relationship with the party soured over the controversial Shs500 million ‘service award’ he received as a parliamentary commissioner.
While NUP labelled the payout as an abuse of office and demanded his resignation, Mr Mpuuga stood his ground, insisting he had done nothing wrong. The misunderstanding led to Mr Mpuuga leaving NUP.
In July, Mr Mpuuga and his allies, including Dr Abed Bwanika, a legislator for Kimaanya-Kabonera Municipality, and Ms Juliet Kakande, the Masaka City Woman MP, among others, unveiled a new political party, the Democratic Front (DF), whose ticket the three politicians are carrying in pursuit of retaining their seats.
In September, DF, where Mr Mpuuga currently serves as president, announced that it would not field a presidential candidate in the January elections, arguing that since 1996 such elections have been organised in ways that ‘favour Mr Museveni, and participating without meaningful electoral reforms would only legitimise a sham process.’
During a recent interview, when asked why DF chose to field candidates for other positions despite claiming that elections are skewed, Mr Mpuuga said the challenges mostly affect the presidency, making it strategic to contest other leadership roles.
‘The political arguments for the presidency and the decision to contest in others are in sync with three of our agenda points: reform, transition, and reconciliation,’ he explained.
Now, one of Mpuuga’s hurdles is to lead the newly formed DF to dismantle NUP, which considers Masaka as its stronghold.
During the launch of his campaigns in Nyendo on November 14, Mr Ssebina said, it is time for the people of Nyendo-Mukungwe to elect an MP who is reliable and ready to initiate projects that will improve the living standards of constituents.
‘We have a lot of issues we need to work on to develop our city that require lobbying by the MPs, and that’s the work I’m going to focus on because speaking on the floor of Parliament alone cannot solve issues affecting our people,’ he said.
He added that, being a professional accountant, he will ensure that he thoroughly scrutinises the budget to ensure that Masaka City gets projects in various sectors that will enhance its growth.
He expressed confident that he will defeat his two challengers to extend his tenure to 20 years.
In the past five years, the parliamentary commissioner said, together with Dr Bwanika and Mr Kakande, they have lobbied the government to inject over Shs2b in improving infrastructure at three public schools in Masaka City, supported youth and women groups as well as distributed coffee seedlings and hand hoes to farmers. The trio has also procured an ambulance through DF.
The Bobi Wine factor
However, during a rally in Kikuubo Lane, Masaka’s busiest business hub on Friday last week, Mr Mpuuga found it hard to answer questions from a section of voters after one asked him why DF is not backing any presidential candidate, yet it has no candidate in the race.
‘In the lead-up to the 2021 general election, it was your group that was pressuring Dr Kizza Besigye to ally with Robert Kyagulanyi since he was not participating as a candidate. Now that DF doesn’t have a presidential candidate, why are you not backing Kyagulanyi, who is evidently the frontrunner in this race?’ An unidentified male voter asked.
In response, Mpuuga said voters in his constituency are free to vote for any presidential candidate on the Opposition side.
To offer more clarity on the matter, Dr Bwanika told the gathering that DF will pronounce itself on who they are backing in the presidential race after Mr Kyagulanyi holds his rally in Masaka City on November 29.
‘You ask us who we are supporting [in the presidential race] after Kyagulanyi has held his rally, we will tell you, but it is we who showed you Kyagulanyi, why are you putting us under pressure?’ he asked.
Divided Opposition
Masaka City was historically a Democratic Party stronghold, not until 2021 when several DP stalwarts, including Mr Mpuuga, shifted their allegiance to NUP and won most of the seats at the parliamentary and local government levels.
Unfortunately, the Opposition camp that was once united is currently divided, which could aid NRM in its bid to make inroads in the city, as was the case with special interest groups’ elections early this year.
Masaka-based political analyst Muhammad Kigongo said the real contest in Nyendo-Mukungwe is between Mr Ssebina and Mr Mpuuga.
While Masaka faces issues including youth unemployment, poor health service delivery, among others, Mr Kigongo expressed believe that integrity and commitment to the Opposition struggle is going to be a key determinant of the next MP in this constituency.
‘The NUP candidate stands a high chance of winning that race. He has a clean track record, well entrenched in the Catholic Church, which is a dominant religion and influencer in area’s politics. So, those qualities are key for people who have been representing that area,’ Mr Kigongo said.
Mr Muhammad Yiga, the Masaka City NRM spokesperson, said: ‘People of Masaka have had enough of Opposition infighting and back biting. In 2021, they were voted as one NUP team. Regrettably, after one year, they were fighting each other, which has affected service delivery, the little you see has been done by the government.’
He said NRM candidate Rachael Nakitende, being a woman, is empathetic to the struggling mothers and youth, and her focus will be on lobbying for opportunities to empower them and building on government programmes like the Parish Development Model.
Mr Dan Mugema, the NRM councillor for Bulayi Ward at Nyendo-Mukungwe Division, said people are ready to vote for an MP who will lobby for critical social amenities like electricity, water, and good roads because some areas that were annexed to the divison when Masaka became a city in 2020 are still lacking such services.
‘People are no longer voting party colours, they are looking for capable leaders, and I believe this race will be shocking because it has several factors to determine its outcome,’ he said.
Ms Rehema Kaboggoza, a resident of Nyendo, said she is confident that the constituency will remain under the control of the Opposition.
‘Despite the bickering within the Opposition, this is a constituency the NRM cannot win, they have made several attempts in the past but failed,’ she said.
Mr Michael Nakumusana, the DF flagbearer in the Masaka mayoral race and also one of Mr Mpuuga’s aides, said his boss is one of the finest legislators voters in Nyendo-Mukungwe cannot afford to lose.
‘On the floor of Parliament, Mpuuga has remained vocal, various mega projects in the form of school infrastructure, refurbishment of Masaka Recreation Grounds have come as a result of his efforts,’ he said.
However, Mr Shafik Mukasa, a NUP supporter in the constituency, accused Mpuuga of hobnobbing with big shots in government, particularly the Speaker of Parliament Anita Among, which he said makes him unfaithful to the struggle to bring change of government.
‘When he was still Leader of Opposition, the Speaker used to send him to represent her at some functions, how can we trust such a person?’ he stated.
But during a rally at Matanga Trading Centre on Saturday last week, Mr Mpuuga said lobbying for his constituents and the entire Masaka City doesn’t make him a State agent.
‘Being in Opposition doesn’t mean we shouldn’t demand our share of the national cake, I am guilty if lobbying for better roads and good infrastructure at public schools in Masaka City is a crime,’ he said.
Mpuuga’s political background
Mr Mpuuga began his leadership journey under Buganda Kingdom where he served as a state minister for Youth Affairs.
In 2011, he contested for the parliamentary seat to represent Masaka Municipality as an Independent candidate and ousted Democratic Party stalwart and veteran politician John Kawanga.
For the last 15 years, Mr Mpuuga has been contesting on different tickets. During the 2016 general election he carried the DP flag which he abandoned for NUP in 2021.
Now, the task ahead for him is to emerge victorious with DF which he personally formed in December last year.
Nyendo-Mukungwe Constituency is one of the most closely watched parliamentary races in Greater Masaka and Uganda as a whole,with shifting alliances and national party strategies expected to shape the outcome of the January 15 polls.
The constituency has a total population of 181,869 people and more than 70,000 registered voters.
During the 2021 general election, Mr Mpuuga defeated other six contenders after garnering 26,810 votes.