The contest for Masindi Municipality’s parliamentary seat is heating up as four contenders, including former Bunyoro Affairs Minister Ernest Kiiza, declare their intention to unseat Joab Businge of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) in the next general elections.
Most of the challengers are affiliated with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and accuse Businge, who won the seat in 2021, of failing to deliver because of his Opposition affiliation.
They argue that Businge lacks the influence within government needed to lobby effectively for development projects.
Among the prominent contenders is Ernest Kiiza, a two-time MP and former cabinet minister, who says Masindi lost momentum after his exit from Parliament.
“I had started youth livelihood programmes, advocated for Masindi Hospital reconstruction and the upgrading of Masindi market, but these all stalled since I left,” Kiiza said in an interview.
He blamed his 2021 defeat on internal NRM divisions, claiming some senior party officials colluded to rig him out in favour of an independent candidate.
Rodgers Byamukama, a FUFA executive committee member who ran as an independent in 2021 and lost, is also back in the race.
He attributes his resilience to his continued grassroots engagement, in contrast to rivals who, he says, only reappear at election time.
“While my competitors left after the election, I stayed in touch with the people. I believe the support is on my side,” he said.
Byamukama is critical of Businge’s performance, arguing that being in Opposition has limited his ability to lobby for the municipality.
“There’s no way he can advocate for Masindi when he is opposing NRM. We need a party person who is in touch with the system,” he said.
Also vying for the seat is state minister for youth and children affairs Balaam Barugahara, whose entry could further fragment the NRM support base, and Rodgers Kanti, the National Unity Platform (NUP) coordinator for Masindi.
In response, Businge dismissed the criticism from his challengers as empty politicking. “NRM candidates are just liars.
They’ve been in leadership for long but have nothing to show. We are empowering voters not to vote by party, but by the substance of a person,” he said.
Businge, now serving his first term in Parliament, insists that only the Opposition can boldly confront the government to demand accountability and service delivery.
He maintains that his leadership has shifted the narrative in Masindi towards issue-based politics.
The looming battle is already drawing attention from political observers. Masindi-based analyst Nelson Mandela says the race will likely come down to Ernest Kiiza and Rodgers Byamukama, whom he views as the most formidable among the challengers.
“What we need is a person with a good agenda for Masindi. We have surely been left behind,” Mandela said.
As the campaigns begin to take shape, the contest in Masindi Municipality is emerging as one of the most closely watched parliamentary races in the Bunyoro sub-region, with voters expected to weigh party loyalty against individual track records and promises.