By Monica Kobusiinge
Kampala: Rubaga North Member of Parliament, Moses Kasibante has revealed that he will contest as an independent candidate to retain his position in the 2021 general elections, after being denied the National Unity Platform (NUP) party ticket.
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Kasibante’s independent candidature comes after NUP ticket was handed to his contender, Abubakar Kawalya, the current Speaker of the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).
However, Kasibante in response has accused the party’s Vetting Committee of not doing enough to weed out what he called ‘Devils’ and ‘Infiltrators’ from the party, adding that Mr Abubakar Kawalya is in bed with the ruling NRM party.
“He dined with NRM in six months back before being given that Speaker-ship post in KCCA, I am bringing my appeal to the people of Rubaga because I believe that NUP-EMC officials did not do enough while vetting us.”
He added, “Kawalya is on record for hiding people’s food during the lockdown, if you measure me with him, I have done more than enough for my people and the struggle that the Committee based on is the time you have spent in NUP, not in the struggle.”
He further revealed that he wouldn’t challenge the committee’s decision but would run as an independent in the general elections, adding that his move to join NUP was not based on getting the ticket but rather to play bold politics.
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“Last month, I joined NUP with the aim of playing bold politics based on party structures but not getting the card, I will not on the same note, pin-point any NUP-EMC official because they also did not have enough time to scrutinize everybody,” he said.
Kasibante who has been an independent MP for 10 years, but learning to the Democratic Party and Ssajjalyabeene who was also denied the ticket together with nine other MPs crossed from the Democratic Party to NUP in August over what they called irreconcilable differences with their former party President Norbert Mao.
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Unlike the two, the other nine incumbents were all selected to hold the party’s flag in the coming elections. Also on the list of those selected on Friday is Allan Ssewanyana, the incumbent MP for Makindye West, who was in hot competition for the flag with two other NUP stalwarts, David Musiri Bwogi and Yasin Ntege.
Ssegirinya Muhammad, the KCCA councillor was also selected as the party flag bearer for Kawempe North against former Kampala Deputy Lord Mayor, Sulaiman Sserwadda Kidandala.
The development comes after the Justice Forum, commonly known as JEEMA and National Unity Platform are eyeing to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at working together and harmonising candidates at different levels.
This was revealed on Tuesday, during a meeting between the JEEMA leaders and a European Union delegation, at JEEMA offices in Mengo, Rubaga Division in Kampala, where Asuman Basalirwa, the JEEMA party president, said the MOU will focus on how to form a government to push Uganda forward.
“As JEEMA, since we undertook the mantle to support the candidature of Robert Kyagulanyi for the presidency, right now we are at an advanced stage of concluding the MOU. This afternoon, I have a meeting with the leadership of NUP, to discuss the MOU issue,” Basalirwa said.
