16 NRM losers in Kigezi form coalition against party candidates

Kabale, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Aspirants who lost the recently concluded National Resistance Movement (NRM) parliamentary primaries in Kigezi region have formed a coalition to fight against the official party candidates.

In the coalition is Maj Gen Sabiiti Timothy Mutebile, the retired Commander of the Engineering Brigade who lost to Sheik Kassim Kamugisha in Kabale municipality, Lastone Besigye who lost to Adison Kakuru in Rukiga, Simpson Mubangizi Mpirirwe who lost to David Bahati in Ndorwa West as well as Gloria Tukahurirwa, David Tushabomwe Ndindirize, Levi Musinguzi and Doreen Twebaze who lost to Paula Turyahikayo in Rubabo county,

The others are Francis Tirwomwe Kagoma, Dan Mbonigaba and Izidoro Tumusiime who lost to Eddie Kwizera in Bufumbira East county, Adon Kahinda and Mujuni Monday Venansio who lost to James Kaberuka in Kinkiizi west among others.

So far, none of the losers from Kigezi region has won a petition against flag bearers. They have since formed an association dubbed Kigezi NRM Frontliners which they intend to use to campaign against the NRM candidates.

They argued that the persons who were declared winners of the NRM primaries were involved in open voter bribery, harassment and vote-rigging. Simpson Mugangizi Mpirirwe, the chairperson of the coalition accuses Bahati of bribing his supporters with 5,000 Shillings to change their mind yet his petition was dismissed without consideration of the empirical evidence against the Minister.

Mpirirwe says that on sharing with others, he realized that a similar problem happened in almost all constituencies in the region. He adds that he is not at all ready to support Bahati despite willing to mobilize for President Yoweri Museveni.

Similarly, Tukahurirwa says that she is not ready to back Turyahikayo because of the harassment that happened during the NRM party primaries. Tukahurirwa says that she was beaten and her vehicle  smashed by Turyahikayo yet even security agencies were backing incumbents instead of remaining neutral.

Francis Tirwomwe Kagoma says that his challenger influenced voters with huge sums of money as well as using security to beat people.

However, Rogers Mulindwa, the spokesperson of the NRM secretariat says that it is not for such NRM cadres to support independent candidates. Mulindwa says that in an election there is a winner and a loser. He advises them to wait and try in other election seasons than supporting independents.

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