Opinions
Monday Akol Amazima: FDC’s Florence is still the woman politician to beat in Kasese
By Monday Akol Amazima
A simple survey among the elites in and from Kasese district will give you the impression that Hon Florence Kabugho owa Sekalombi has not lived up to the expectations of the people of Kasese and therefore will have a hard time seeking another term. This impression is grossly misleading, the lady from Rusese – Bwera is still strong and whoever is coming to contest against her should prepare for a serious contest.
Dislodging her won’t be a walk in the park as some bloggers are saying. Mubale Muke says though Kabugho Florence has not been as articulate and vocal as her predecessors Winnie Kizza and Loice Bwambale, she still commands her rural vote base that pushed her to parliament in 2021. Some of the grounds that make the FDC lady a force in 2026 are:
Pedigree
If history is anything to go by, Florence still stands a chance to bounce back come 2026. The precedence right from Hon Loice Bwambale, the pioneer elected woman politician in Kasese, to Winnie Kizza, the immediate former District Woman Member of Parliament, is that at least they have served more than one term. Going by this record, the voters might develop a soft spot for the incumbent so that she can also serve another term.
In 2012 when Winnie Kizza was thrown out of parliament through a court petition and a by election held, much as NRM put in a lot of efforts to win the seat, the voters already had a soft spot for Winnie Kiiza and therefore it was an uphill task for NRM with the machinery they employed to dislodge her. This scenario might also work in favour of Florence Kabugho.
Bwera factor
All regions have particular areas that influence leadership and decision-making. For example among the Acholi, you will realise that most of the powerful Acholi since independence come from Chwa in Kitgum. General Tito Okello Lutwa, Arch Bishop Jonan Luwum, Dr Ambassador Olara, Otunnu, among others, hail from that area.
In Ankole the greater Mbarara has been the area that is associated with great leaders, for example, YK Museveni, Grace Ibingira, W Rwetsibo, and Boniface Byanyima. These are great men from Ankole who had a focus on national leadership. In Kasese’s politics, the Bwera factor is very key, most influential politicians and ministers from Kasese since independence have hailed from Bwera.
Florence Kabugho hails from Bwera and so far all the women who have represented Kasese in parliament have had an attachment with Bwera, for example Loice Bwambale was both from and married in Bwera. Winnie Kizza though from Kisinga, is married to Yokasi Bihande who also hails from Bwera.
Hon Florence Kabugho
Radio program and development agenda
Unlike most politicians who abandon their professions after winning elections, Kabugho Florence has maintained her Radio Messiah program that made her popular and a darling to the people of Kasese. Providing a community ambulance to supplement the few ambulances in the district and supporting some of the grassroots women’s projects still makes her a relevant force in the politics of the district.
However, some journalists in the district argue that, much as she has maintained this program, she has not addressed the plight of journalists in the Mount Rwenzori area who are poorly paid and working under very unfriendly conditions.
Opposition support
The politics of Kasese are such that if a candidate gets the full backing of either NRM or the opposition, such a candidate gets higher chances of winning the contest. In 2006, NRM solidly stood behind Rev Kithaenda, and they defeated then incumbent and independent Yokasi Bihande, whose vote, which was from largely opposition members in Kasese, was divided between him and Zephar Mubingwa.
In 2016, in Bukonzo West, Sausi Capson, a known Dr Kiyonga fun and kin contested as an NRM-leaning independent. This made it easier for Katusabe Atkin,s the sole opposition candidate, to defeat Dr Crispus Kiyonga. The NRM votes were split between Dr Kiyonga and his nephew, Sausi Capson. Much as there are names being floated to contest on the NUP ticket, Florence Kabugho still enjoys the support of the opposition kingmakers in the district and they will most likely back her re-election bid.
The emergence of Walemba on the PLU card to face Sarah Ithungu and Kabugho Merrlyne in NRM might play in favour of the incumbent if NRM does not learn from the 2021 experience. In 2021 Kabugho Merrylyne after losing in the NRM prinaries decided to contest as an independent and this affected Ithungu Sarah the NRM candidate to the advantage of FDC’s Kabugho Florence.
Power struggle within NRM
The appointment of Godfrey Kabyanga as state minister of ICT and national guidance made him a key figure in NRM politics in the district, matters were made worse when he declared his intention to succeed Dr Kiyonga in Bukonzo West without Dr Kiyonga’s blessing.
This has resulted into serious rivalry and contest on who exactly controls NRM structures in the district. In order to gain relevancy, Godfrey Kabyanga is seen as the mouth piece of the PLU and therefore recruiting the new guard to replace the old guard in the party. If this is not handled with care, it is most likely going to give the opposition chance to win key positions including the district woman member of parliament.
However her detractors argue that Kasese is well known for having vocal women politicians- a brand Kabugho Florence has not lived up to. Loice Biira Bwambale the first district woman member of parliament from Kasese was vocal right from NRC, CA and this led to being appointed deputy Gender minister in the 1990s.
Winnie Kizza that succeeded her was a very vocal opposition legislator whose mobilisation skills made her the first woman leader of opposition in the history of parliament. Therefore Florence having succeeded such brand of women, the yardstick and bar on which to determine her performance was already high that she has to work hard to create an impact on the floor of parliament so that she can win a section of the elite votes in the district.
The author is a teacher, journalist and Pan African
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