Kateshumbwa: "What's wrong with giving out free knickers?"

Photos showing agents for former Uganda Revenue Authority senior commissioner and Sheema Municipality constituency aspirant, Dicksons Kateshumbwa, distributing knickers and pads to people in Sheema, have kicked off storm on social media.

In one of the photos, one of Kateshumbwa’s agents is seen giving out knickers to a group of women and girls in the constituency prompting social media commentators to jump onto the same.

Whereas many are laughing at him over the strategy, others are castigating him for “humiliating” his would-be voters.

“All the money you have instead of investing in the schools in your constituency, provide women pads and seeds for farming. You decided to donate knickers. Are you alright up there,” one Moses Kawooya commented on twitter.

One Mama Kwezi Kemigisha of Uganda tweeted,” They have stooped so low in this campaign. I want to come to slap these good for nothing.”

Kateshumbwa defends self

However, Kateshumbwa said the photo was circulated by his opponents in a bid to blackmail him for their own selfish interests.

“Social media in Uganda is being misused and in the middle of campaigns like now, people are using it to blackmail others,”Kateshumbwa said.

The former URA senior commissioner said his wife and friends had joined him to provide sanitary materials to girls in Sheema noting that it is where one of the photos was taken and circulated on social media.

He said the team that was holding camps for vulnerable girls was giving out menstrual kits including knickers and sanitary pads.

“Girls who have been home since the lockdown started have faced many health challenges. We have seen very young girls getting unwanted pregnancies but someone trying to do political blackmail picked out one picture and created a narrative. I find it offensive and insensitive,” Kateshumbwa said.

“If you can give out free condoms, why are they angry because of knickers? We live in two worlds of the vulnerable who appreciate the little which has been done and one of elites who live on social media. They are experts on anything to give advice, blackmail and comment. I find it unfortunate.”