By Spy Uganda
Sheema: Technology Minister, Elioda Tumwesigye, who lost to Dickson Kateshumbwa in the NRM Primaries for Sheema Municipality, has this Thursday been nominated on the Independent ticket.
The determined Elioda has vowed to put up a tight race and give the former URA Commissioner Dickson Kateshumbwa a run for his money saying the primaries were neither free nor fair adding that a general election would give him a better opportunity to prove he was the favorite candidate for Sheema.
After being nominated today, Elioda promised to serve the people of sheema with dedication and ensure vast extension of social services in the area.
Through his term in office, Elioda has made a lot of achievements including supporting thousands of people in Sheema to receive drugs during the 1990s when HIV/AIDS was ravaging the country and getting scholarships for young people from Sheema to schools and higher institutions of learning. Tumwesigye has been representing Sheema Municipality since 2018
Meanwhile, Kateshumbwa was also nominated today to contest for the same position in Sheema municipality and this is one of the tight race the country is yet to see ahead of 2021 elections, its worth noting that Sheema Municipality primaries were among on the most violent elections the NRM party witnessed where some were severely injured while others voters lost their lives citing out voter bribery and other accusations that the two made against each other.
However, Kateshumbwa is said to have employed the door-do-door campaign strategy to challenge Elioda, a household name maintains that the people of Sheema Municipality were divided because of selfish and irresponsible leadership, undermining efforts to develop the area and aims to change the narrative thus arguing the constituents to do away with divisions that have taken root with an aim of bringing development irrespective of tribal, political, racial or religious differences.
In the same vein Economic Monitoring Minister Molly Kamukama has also been nominated on Independent ticket to contest for Kazo constituency member of parliament after she lost to Jennifer Muheesi Abaho as the NRM flag bearer for Kazo District Woman MP.
Kamukama recently lost a petition before Mbarara High Court challenging the election of Jennifer Muheesi Abaho as the NRM flag bearer for Kazo District Woman MP and A attempts to appeal the court verdict did not bear fruits.
Kamukama, who previously served as the Principal Private Secretary of President Museveni before being transferred to Cabinet, believes she won the NRM primaries but her victory was snatched away from her thus making a U- turn as independent to reclaim her victory. The NRM EC declared that Muheesi winner afer she garnered 16,802 votes against Kamukama’s 16,715 – a margin of just 87.
Meanwhile Sylvia Rwabwogo who lost to Irene Linda Mugisa in the woman MP race for Fort portal city has also been nominated on the independent ticket to challenge her rivals claiming the democracy in her party NRM is built around one individual and that this exposes the party to leadership challenges once president Museveni ceases to lead the party.
” We have suffered a set back as NRM, we had a bad election, one we have never had as a party. I am coming back as an independent to have a fair play, i will remain a member of MRM because it has a principle of democracy and i haven’t handed back my membership card”. Rwabwogo said.
Today marks the start of the two-day exercise of nomination of candidates for Parliamentary Elections 2021. The nominations are being conducted at the respective district/city headquarters in all the 146 districts/cities across the country, starting at 9:00 am till 5:00 pm on each day.
