By Spy Uganda
Kazo, Western Uganda: Hon. Molly Nawe Kamukama, born 23 August 1973, is a Ugandan politician and management professional and current State Minister for Economic Monitoring in the Office of the President, since December,14, 2019.
The 47 year old and former private secretary to president Museveni wants to change gears and represent the people of Kazo as their District woman MP.
Although three candidates are aspiring for the same seat, including Jenifer Muheesi Abaho (NRM), Ronah Rulangwa (Independent) and Molly Kamukama Independent), the main contest is between Kamukama and Jennifer Muheesi, who by the way trounced both the two independents in the recent chaotic NRM primaries.
Kamukama contested the NRM primaries results that gave the flag to her rival Muheesi, she petitioned NRM electoral commission Chairman Dr.Tanga Odoi who also upheld the results. Not convinced, Kamukama drugged Muheesi to Mbarara court and twice the court also upheld the earlier position of the party.
Now, with nothing else left on her plate, she decided to bring the battle down to the ‘final Judges’, the electorates.
Molly and a significant section of her electorates contend that the NRM primaries were marred by vote rigging and other electoral malpractices and therefore couldn’t give the clear feel on ground, the decision to stand as independent.
Pundits on ground actually say she has gained more ground for the past couple of months that she has been combing the villages. They content that she could give the NRM backed Muheesi a running nose.
“Molly has significantly gained ground and currently has the highest ratings, although the NRM candidate is reportedly pumping in a lot of billions whose sources are also questionable,” said a resident we interviewed on ground.
It is against that background that TheSpy Uganda has decided to unveil to you ten (10) reasons why Molly will trounce her other two contestants:
1.Good Education Background; Molly has a good educational background, her books don’t need no verbal backing, starting with her Bachelor of Arts in Education degree, awarded to her in 1997, Master of Management Studies degree awarded by the Uganda Management Institute in 2008 and certification of Chartered Secretary by the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of the United Kingdom. This has given her an upper hand in communication skills and exposure, compared to her rivals.
2. Diligence in services; Molly has since been ranked amongst the most professional public servants from 1997 when she took up employment as an administrative assistant at Kampala City Council, the precursor of present-day Kampala Capital City Authority, serving there until 1998. She is a very dependable, incorruptible and ethical personality to workwith.
READ ALSO: Dr Omona Officially Takes Over From Molly Kamukama As Museveni PPS
3- Based on her track record, after 14 years of her diligent service KCC now KCCA, Molly was requested to render her services to the Electoral Commission, in various roles, rising from data editor in 1998 to Head, Department of Voter Education and Training, in 2012.
Due to her international recognition of her smart mind at work, from Electoral Commission, for the next three years, until 2016, she went into private consulting serving diverse clients, including the South Sudanese Electoral Commission and UNDP Nigeria.
In the year of 2014, the government of Uganda could not risk losing Molly to international bodies and governments hence hiring her to serve as the political assistant to the chairman of the ruling National Resistance Movement political party, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni serving in that capacity until 2016 when she was appointed Principal Private Secretary to the President until December 2019.
As if that was not enough, President Museveni in a cabinet reshuffle, on 14 December 2019, appointed her as State Minister for Economic Monitoring.Â
3. Lobbying Capacity: Having served and still servicing in such powerful offices, Molly stands higher chances of resource mobilization and seizing opportunities for her constituents. As a woman who has been at the power Centre and has an eye of the president, you can be sure that she is near to those who distribute the national cake, a chance that her rivals only cry for. Museveni quite often asks electorates to send him MPs that he will find easy working with. Since she has been his private secretary, Molly knows when and how to lobby from Mzei.
4.The weaknesses in her rivals; Molly’s track record is clean, this is not the case with her rivals. For instance, during the height of murdering women in Wakiso and Kampala recently, where over 34 women were murdered, Gen.Kayihura’s men arrested and arraigned Ronah Rulangwa’s husband before the media as one of the key suspects in the heinous crime. Infact, Ronah herself was also picked from a hideout like a grasshopper and detained too, allegedly to help police in investigations, although she was later released. The case has since never been heard to its logical conclusion. However, whether guilty or innocent, this left a very big dent on Ronah and her husband, and the entire family. Today, some people homesteads in the area find it hard to dream that the same family can represent them in the house where laws are made, yet they’re allegedly lawless.
5. Voter bribery & fault; Voters grievance towards National Resistance Movement (NRM) party Electoral Commission (EC) which allegedly connived with Jenifer Muheesi to allegedly robe people’s voice. Some electorates contend that since they summersaulted the results in primaries, they will show their full powers in the ballot paper.
According to the declaration form released by Tanga after a recount, Muheesi obtained 16,802 votes, breaking away slightly from Molly who got 16,715 votes. They’ve never come to terms with this small margin that cost them the flag. “Nituza kumworeka omukaruuru, (we shall show her in the ballot)” a furious lady shouted on top of her voice as we took the interview.
6. Behaviours; This website has since learnt that both Ronah and Muheesi’s behaviors are wanting. Ronah is said to be a violent person and has so far fought four times with her rival Muheesi, noting the recent when she fought during the NRM primaries and broke the Electoral Commission’s computers. She has numerously fought Muheesi, and in recent elections, she allegedly knocked her opponent’s [Muheesi] car, something that still left her voters regretting their support for such a leader.Â
7. Residency; We all believe that residency matters for a voter to entrust you with her/his vote; Among the contestants, it’s only Molly who has an official home in Kazo district. Ronah has no official home in the district she is contesting in, although some times sleeps at her parent’s home in Bulunga sub-county, our sources revealed.
8. Manifestos; It is very clear that Molly has the most suitable Manifesto to the people of Kazo than any other candidate. Molly focuses on growing household incomes, supervising the implementation of gov’t programs, empowering youth with hands-on skills and projects among others, something that has since left youth yearning for her leadership., and she has the mobilization networks to lobby the same.
9. Connections; Molly Kamukama is among the most popular and connected persons in Uganda both locally and internationally. Her international recognition as a result of her previous offices including being president’s private secretary and now as economic monitoring minister links her with so many opportunities internationally and locally which she will pass on to youth.
10. Tribalism; Since Kazo is a multi-tribal constituency, this has created differences between voters something reportedly funded by Muheesi camp and Ronah’s camps. “These people are dividing our people on the basis of ‘Abairu’ and ‘Abahima’.Molly Kamukama cuts across the divide, because she has been serving all people of Uganda in all the offices she has been serving in. She is a national figure and thinks national cohesion as opposed to tribe differences.
We think we will return with 50 more reasons why Molly will swear as the next woman MP for Kazo.
