Kibirango says Muyingo was also unreachable and delegated everything to his aides. “Even when people complained to Muyingo about his aides, he couldn't do anything and the aggrieved people resorted to voting Ssekitoleeko who is approachable,” Kibirango said.
Local
Leaders and residents of Bamunanika County in Luwero district have attribute
the loss of the incumbent Member of Parliament and State Minister in Charge of Higher
Education, John Chrysestom Muyingo on his silence on key issues affecting the
constituency.
Muyingo lost
in the just concluded elections to his former campaigner manager and
Personal Assistant, Robert Ssekitoleko, who ran on the National Unity
Platform-party ticket. Ssekitoleeko garnered 27,850 votes (50.97%) against 24,463
votes (44.77%) polled by his former boss.
Other candidates including Ronald Muyingo got 1422 votes
(2.61 votes) Moses Matovu from the Alliance for National Transformation- ANT
483 votes (0.88%) and Alex Kalyesubuula, an independent scored (0.77%). Till
his defeat, Muyingo was in high spirits and assured of victory because of his
development projects and support to voters.
Muyingo has awarded scholarships to over 4,000 children in the constituency,
supported elders with basic necessities and donated to money to groups and institutions
such churches, schools and mosques. However, Ssekitoleeko capitalized on the
minister’s silence on key issues such as land grabbing to win the support of
voters.
The problem is wide spread in Kikyusa, Kamira and Kalagala Sub counties,
which were Muyingo’s stronghold. According to Ssekitoleko, Muyingo was good at
representing President Museveni’s interests in the constituency and Parliament
but silent on issues affecting the voters.
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Luganda Byte
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Livingstone Kategeya, the former Kamira Sub county LC 3 Chairperson and NRM
supporter, says everywhere in the constituency people are crying over land
evictions and blaming Muyingo for not standing with his voters to fight land
grabbers. Kategeya says the voters also transferred their anger to Museveni and
NRM Party, which they believe have failed to end the illegal evictions.
Kategeya won the NRM ticket to contest for the LC 3 Chairperson seat in this
election but opted out of the race for fear of defeat by NUP leaning
independents citing unresolved grievances from residents.
Erasto Kibirango, a NUP Coordinator and voter at Malungu village in Bamunanika Sub
County, says although Muyingo did a good job to ensure he awards scholarships
to needy children, the Programme was messed up by his coordinators and created
enmity for him.
Kibirango explains that coordinators had resorted to extorting money
from beneficiaries while sidelining those who fail to pay money. He says Muyingo was also unreachable and delegated everything to his aides.
“Even when people complained to Muyingo about his aides, he couldn't do
anything and the aggrieved people resorted to voting Ssekitoleeko who is
approachable,” Kibirango said.
Godfrey Ssekyanzi, a resident of Zirobwe Sub County says that Muyingo like
Museveni was being elected by older persons but this time the youths
overwhelmed them at polling stations and voted for their age mate. Abdul Wasswa,
the chief campaigner for Muyingo insists that the legislator has done well in
the constituency and blamed his loss entirely on the National Unity Platform,
wave which swept through the district and Buganda region.
