MBARARA WOMAN MP RACE! Angry Mobilizers Abandon MP Bwahika, Pledge Allegiance to NRM Flag Bearer Kibaju

Amos Tayebwa

Mbarara

MBARARA CITY — Trouble is brewing in the camp of Mbarara City Woman MP Rita Atukwasa Bwahika after more than 20 of her once-loyal mobilizers and supporters abandoned her and pledged to back Charity Kibaju Kamuhanda, the NRM flag bearer, citing grievances over poor facilitation and broken promises.

The mass crossover was announced at a press conference held today, Friday 24th, evening at Kashozi Night Hideout in Kidongo, Mbarara City, where the defectors said long-standing disagreements and a lack of support from Bwahika’s camp forced them to jump ship.

The two contenders are locked in a bitter contest for the Mbarara City Woman MP seat. The pair met in the recent NRM party primaries, where Kibaju defeated Bwahika, but Bwahika has nonetheless chosen to contest in the January general election as an independent — a move that has deepened tensions on the ground. Both candidates were formally nominated on Wednesday this week.

The dissidents said their decision was driven primarily by what they described as chronic non-payment for services rendered during campaign activities and poor treatment at events.

After her nomination, Bwahika held a rally at Mbarara Independence park, where her supporters and mobilizers assembled to congratulate her.

However, the outcome was different as some of her mobilisers accused her for using them and failure to facilitate them.

Didan Nkwatsibwe, popularly known as Bampe UG, one of Bwahika’s former staunch mobilizers, told journalists he had invested time, money and creative effort into the campaign only to be left unpaid.

“I recorded a song for Bwahika for her political campaigns but in the end I was not paid or facilitated for my efforts and expenses,” Nkwatsibwe said. “A few days ago I spent the whole day at Independence Park providing services as a mobilizer, but at the end of the event I was left empty-handed and on top of that, hungry. That marked the end of my attachment with Bwahika and pushed me to join Kibaju’s camp.”

He says this has been the same case with other mobilisers.

“… the issue of not paying us as mobilizers including agents. We rallied behind Bwahika and mobilized for her votes, we have organised several events for her political activities and mobilized people from different areas but eventually you are left stuck even failing to transport back those people. Many people can agree with me that from the previous elections, a number of complaints from the agents and mobilizers were raised against Bwahika over non-payment of the services that were rendered to her towards her election victory. So, this time expected such scenarios not happen to me again.”

Nkwatsibwe added that attempts to raise these issues with the candidate were repeatedly ignored. “There has been an issue of prominent figures in the camp blocking some of the supporters and mobilizers from easily accessing the candidate to express their concerns. It has been hard for Bwahika to attend to us and iron out issues on the ground. I used to call her but she rarely picked up.”

He also described a specific episode at Ekanya Crescent Hotel in Mbarara, where he said he and his producer were invited to record a campaign song but left without any payment or deposit for production costs. “We asked her for a deposit towards the process of producing the song, but she did not raise a single coin. I made a loss during the course, so how could I keep supporting such a person?” he asked.

Hadija Namasela, a former division councillor for Mandela-Kisenyi quarters and a former loyal mobilizer for Bwahika, echoed the same complaints. Namasela said she has worked with Bwahika since the 2021 elections but was repeatedly poorly facilitated during campaign activities.

“As mobilizers we were facilitated in sections, which looked like segregation and imbalance. Many times we were not facilitated even after being in the field for mobilization. Recently, at a football event at Global High School playground, I was among the team distributing Bwahika’s T-shirts but at around 8:00pm Bwahika left us without giving any money. I footed back home. They called me to do the activity but left me with nothing,” Namasela said, adding that her allegiance to the NRM compelled her to back Kibaju now that she holds the party flag.

Another defector, Ronald Kyamadidi, said he left Bwahika’s camp almost four years ago over what he called selfishness and arrogance, vowing to work to unseat her. “Bwahika used us and dumped us. I left the camp when she had about 60 million shillings in debts to agents, myself included — she didn’t pay me either. I declared war against Bwahika and I’m still in that war. She cannot survive this battle. I am here to back the NRM flag bearer Kibaju. I will knock her out of that seat,” Kyamadidi told reporters.

The defections come days after Bwahika held a mega nomination rally at Mbarara Independence Park where hundreds of supporters gathered to celebrate her nomination. But for those who have quit, the outcome has been bitter: they claim long periods of unpaid work, broken promises and a leadership that is difficult to access.

So far there has been no official response from Rita Atukwasa Bwahika to the allegations. Campaigns in Mbarara City are expected to intensify in the coming weeks as the January election draws closer, and the fallout from these defections could reshape the dynamics of the race.