Nantaba “disloyalty” to party dominates NRM campaigns for Kayunga LC5 seat

Several NRM leaders in Ntenjeru south constituency have blamed Kayunga Woman MP, Aida Nantaba for the decline in support for the ruling party in the district.

Ahead of elections on December 16, Nantaba, an NRM supporter declared supporter for independent candidate Majid Nyanzi for the Kayunga LCV race.

On Wednesday, NRM top officials led by the first national vice chairperson, Moses Kigongo and the director for mobilization, Rosemanry Sseninde met party leaders at various levels from Ntenjeru South Constituency at Forest Complex hotel in Nazigo town council in a bid to see how to come together and campaign for the party candidate in the LC5 race.

In a meeting where everyone was allowed to share their views on how NRM can win the election, the leaders one by one blamed Nantaba to be behind the trouble for the ruling party in Kayunga.

“Cliques within our party are to blame for our loss. There is one person who has contributed to this and that in Nantaba. She does nothing in Kayunga apart from dividing us,” said one Yusuf Musoke.

Edith Nakijoba said despite efforts to unite people in Kayunga, some leaders like Nantaba work behind the curtains to soil the party gains.

She noted that it is high time the ruling party leadership reigned in on Nantaba and have her wings clipped.

“In Kayunga we have two NRMs and one of them is headed by Nantaba. She is so powerful and many people listen to her. You(NRM top leadership) have given her so much power that she uses to destabilise the party . You are to blame for it. She is no longer a minister but she still has guards whom she uses to intimidate us. What are those guards for,”Nakijoba said.

The party leaders from Ntenjeru South insisted that the top leadership of the NRM is to blame for allowing Nantaba have freedom to do whatever she likes and, in the end, has cost the party support.

“You have given her a lot of powers that she uses to destabilise Kayunga.Let the guards given to her be withdrawn,”

Kigongo responds

The NRM first national vice chairperson blamed the leaders in Kayunga for voting for the people they are complaining of, saying that if they didn’t like them, they shouldn’t have voted them into power.

“The problem is you. It is s you who vote for them. You dont vote for good cadres but vote for those people you are complaining of. I wont go deep into that but will soon come back to fight that war,”Kigongo said.

He said that whereas he knows about the issues that the leaders are talking of, now is not the time to “fight that war” but the most pressing need is voting for NRM in the forthcoming LC5 byelection.

“I have heard everything and everyone knows this. We have many wars to fight. Let us see which one to fight at what time before starting another. Wars are fought in phases. The issue of guards (for Nantaba) is not what we are focusing on now.”

Kigongo urged the party leaders to desist from divisions but rally behind the party.

"Why do you want to be fighting each other every time? You are leaders who should bring people together other than dividing them. Avoid divisions. Uganda and NRM are bigger than personalities. Don’t think if you are not around, things in the party won’t move. NRM is very strong that even if one person is not round, it won’t stop us from operating,” he said.

The NRM director for mobilization, Rosemary Sseninde said whereas issues of fights and divisions in the party are more pronounced, time now is put all that aside and canvass votes for the ruling party candidate in the Kayunga LC5 byelection.

“The most important issue are the coming elections that we want to win. I implore all the people of Kayunga regardless of their parties to vote for the NRM candidate,”Sseninde said.