The Chief of Logistics, Brig. Charles Otema Awany has directed the sub-county chairpersons of National Resistance Movement (NRM) to form NRM security groups to handle opposition cliques intimidating their supporters.

Brig. Otema says NRM supporters in the villages are being intimidated by a clique of opposition members who should be suppressed by a rival faction.
“Identify potential youth that will help to counter the intimidations of the opposition. Acholi sub-region has gone through a lot. This must stop,” he said.

He said in the past elections, people were being forced to vote for opposition which was against their will after being intimidated.
Brig. Otema also asked presidential aspirants to stop using politics of intimidation in their campaign rallies but rather concentrate on issues that affect the local people.
The Brig. made the remarks on Sunday in Tetuku village, Koro sub-county in Gulu district where over 400 members of opposition crossed to NRM.

He asked the community to rightly put to use the money government is sending for different programmes noting that it might be of waste.
“Men have abandoned their responsibilities to women and concentrated on drinking. This is crippling development at house hold level,” he said.
The new converts were received by the district party chairman, Okello Douglas Peter who commended them for the wise decision taken.

Watdog Francisco Awori who lost in the MRM party primaries for Member of Parliament Tochi County, said creating a parallel group of people would instead cause more crimes in the area.
Awori, who is now contesting as councillor Koro sub-county as independent, said there are already well down structures of crime preventers and the Police, who can intervene in case of intimidation.

The contestant, who defected to NRM mid this year from FDC, expressed concern that the recruited youth may be too expectant and yet there’s no money to pay them.
The Gulu district NRM boss Okello, said Brig’s comment never meant to ask the sub-county NRM chairpersons to use parallel structures, but the existing ones.

Okello, however, said as the NRM chairperson, all the party activities must be in conformity with the law and any illegal activity that jeopardizes the freedom of another party shall not be allowed.“We have cases of our people being intimidated, harassed and beaten by opposition.

Four of these cases have been reported to the Police for guidance,” he said.

In October 2015, the Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura vowed to crash all militia groups, noting that they are illegal  while presiding over the passing out of 300 Police officers at the Non-Commissioned Officers at Gaddafi in Jinja, Kayihura said militias created by Maj. Roland Kakooza Mutale and Erias Lukwago would not be given opportunity to operate.

More than 30 women are contesting against men for positions of directly elected MPs, in addition to 112 district positions reserved for Woman MPs and one position for national youth female MP.

Whereas the number might appear small, analysts say it is a step towards having more representation for women in Parliament.

However, there is no significant increase compared with the 2011 elections. Thanks to the 1995 Constitution, at least one parliamentary seat is reserved for women in each district.

Whereas most women still contest on the affirmative action seat, the number of women contesting against men has been rising.

An analysis of the list shows that in Kamuli municipality, there are more women than men that were nominated to stand in the county constituency.

Salaamu Musumba

In Kalangala district, Woman MP Carol Birungi has switched goal posts from representing women, to contesting in Kyamuswa County to fill the void left by veteran politician Tim Lwanga.

Lwanga has retired from elective politics, meaning Birungi will take on Moses Kabuusu, a former radio journalist, who recently crossed from the Democratic Party (DP) to the National Resistance Movement (NRM).

Even in Kampala, where politics is so competitive and had in the past been left for men, women have started showing serious interest and are taking on men.

According to a study carried out in America, women are as capable of being good political leaders as men.

The same study also said the same can be said of their ability to dominate the corporate boardroom.

The report released in November by Pew Research Centre, an international research firm, said women are indistinguishable from men on key leadership traits, such as intelligence and capacity for innovation.

In the study, many people interviewed — who made up both men and women — said women are actually stronger than men in terms of being compassionate and organised leaders.

The findings were based on a survey of 1,835 randomly selected adults.

The survey was conducted online from November 12 to 21, 2014 in US. Four in 10 of them (38%) said having more women in top leadership positions in business and government would do a lot to improve the quality of life for all women.

However, even so, the report said, women continue to lag behind men in senior management positions and many get less pay than men.

Makerere University history don, Mwambutsya Ndebesa, recently warned women that in spite of the great strides, they will face tough challenges in races against men.

He notes that some men are filthy rich, yet women have cultural constraints.

Lwengo district Woman MP Gertrude Nakabira, who is contesting against men in Bukoto South, told Sunday Vision that the district Woman MP seat is expensive to sustain, perhaps the reason why more women are opting for the constituencies.

Getrude Nakabira

She notes that whereas the men’s constituencies are made up of an average of three sub-counties, women MPs represent over 10 sub-counties.

“As a Woman MP, you dance in the playground when your colleagues are dancing from the sitting room,” Nakabira said.

The ‘play-ground’, she said, is the district woman MP seat, while the ‘sitting room’ is the county seat mostly occupied by men.

Below are some of the prominent women contesting against men in Kampala central, Nakawa and Kawempe.

Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze was a little known person 10 years ago. She did not hesitate to challenge men for a parliamentary slot.

In the 2008 by-elections, Nambooze battled with the then popular Mukono North MP, the Rev. Peter Bakaluba Mukasa and defeated him.

Mukono presents a particularly interesting case study because although there are men in the race, Nambooze’s closest challenger, Fatuma Ndisaba, is also a woman.

Ndisaba partly benefited from Nambooze’s mentorship while she was still in DP.

Today, she is the NRM flag-bearer. Ndisaba has been NRM district general secretary and speaker for Goma sub-county, now known as Goma Division under Mukono municipality.

Despite crossing parties, some of her former colleagues in DP still support her.

Bukoto South in Lwengo district has a tough woman in the race.

The incumbent district Woman MP, Gertrude Nakabira is taking on one of the strongest politicians in the race, Haji Muyanja Mbabaali. Mbabaali is a wealthy politician, whose pockets never dry.

Nakabira had run in the NRM party primaries, but the pressure Mbabaali exerted on her forced her out of the race.

She is now contesting as an independent candidate. Recently, Nakabira’s campaigns got a boost when the area’s Catholic diocesan bishop, John Baptist Kaggwa, urged his church members to vote for only Catholics.

In the same race, Nakabira is tussling out with the DP secretary general and incumbent, Mathias Nsubuga.

Nakabira’s chances are still 50%.

The race for Kamuli Municipality has attracted three powerful women against one man.

The trio is Hajati Rehema Watongola (NRM), Proscovia Salaamu Musumba (FDC), the LC5 chairperson and Proscovia Naikoba Kanakutanda.

The three are tussling out with David Kamaali Sabira, a personal assistant to the Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga.

Watongola says her win is eminent, owing to NRM’s dominance in the municipality and her mobilisation antics.

Watongola was the chief technocrat for Kadaga’s campaigns for close to 20 years. But none of the other three contenders is a simple politician.

Take for example Musumba, who won the LC5 seat when political tension was high in Kamuli.

Betty Amongi

If she wins the 2016 polls, it will be the second time she is representing the constituency.

Prior to that, Amongi was the Woman Member of Parliament for Apac district, where she served two terms.

Annet Nyakecho Okwenye is the incumbent MP for the Otuke Woman MP seat.

However, after a five-year term in Parliament where she served as vice-chairperson on the parliamentary committee on science and technology (and also as member committee on legal and parliamentary affairs), Nyaketcho has switched from the woman MP seat to county constituency.

And it is not in Otuke district in northern Uganda, but in the eastern Uganda district of Tororo.

She will be contesting against FDC strongman Geoffrey Ekanya, who has been in Parliament since 2001. Tororo North is a newly-created constituency and was gazetted this year.

Nyaketcho was born in Atiri in Mukuju sub-county, Tororo district, but got married in Otuke. Previously, Tororo County was one constituency under the leadership of Ekanya, but in the recent government exercise of creating more counties, it was split into two — Tororo North and Tororo South.

Olga Ajiri is the only woman among eight candidates standing for the race in Nakawa, a Kampala suburb. Her message is courage and building a condusive environment for children in the communities.

A mother of four, Ajiri is a teacher and businesswoman. She hopes to upstage the incumbent, Frederick Ruhindi, the current Attorney General. Ruhindi has been undefeatable for the last 15 years. Other contestants include FDC’s Michael Kabaziguruka and DP’s spokesperson, Kenneth Kakande.

Beatrice Anywar

The Kitgum Woman MP is an iron lady by all standards. In 2007, when Anywar led a protest against the give-away of Mabira Forest, her impact was felt.

The give away was halted and she remained popular to date. But after representing the women in Kitgum for about 15 years, Anywar has shifted goal posts.

In the ongoing elections, Maama Mabira is taking on men for Kitgum municipality MP slot.

Interestingly, Anywar’s main challenger, Denis Okalit, is a member of her party, FDC, where she is a senior party official.

Aywar told Sunday Vision that she has outgrown the Woman MP seat and is now wants to challenge men to see what it means to represent both men and women.

Justine Nameere

Justine Nameere, a daughter of prominent politician and agriculture state minister, Vincent Ssempijja, is the other woman taking on men in the parliamentary race.

Nameere is contesting against prominent politicians who include the NRM flag-bearer, Dr. Abdullah Nkoyoyo.

But since she entered the race, Nameere has stirred a ‘tsunami’ in the NRM camp.

Since she is an NRM-leaning independent, there is fear that she will snatch some of Nkoyoyo’s votes to the advantage of the DP flag-bearer and incumbent, Florence Namayanja.

Little wonder that a chain of NRM leaders are pleading with her to quit the race.

Florence Namayanja

The former deputy Mayor of Kampala between 2006 and 2011, Florence Namayanja, is one of the powerful female politicians DP is counting on for the future.

In the 2011 general elections, Namayanja flooed one of NRM’s strong men, Alintuma Nsambu, who was the information state minister.

Defeating Nsambu earned her a big name in Masaka and nationally.

Anita Flavia Omondi

Anita Flavia Omondi is taking on seven men in the race for the Bugabula North parliamentary seat in Kamuli district.

Her popularity is growing like a bush fire. She is giving the men in the race, who include presidential advisor on foreign affairs, Moses Kizige, sleepless nights.

Omondi, who works with Qatar Airways, had one of the biggest crowds in the district on the nomination day.

Omondi, the wife to former New Vision journalist, Frederick Womakuyu, started her campaign early by sponsoring football and netball tournaments.

She also participated in fundraising drives in schools, churches, graduation parties and funerals. The men in the race include Kamuli district veterinary officer, Dr. Dan Kasibule, George Mulindwa, a lecturer at Busoga University and John Teira, who works in State House; Dan Wakiita; Enoka Kasando and the incumbent, Andrew Allen.

Beti Kamya

After contesting in the presidential elections five years ago, Beti Kamya has gone back to the roots — contest for a parliamentary seat for Rubaga North.

She is standing under the umbrella of her party, Uganda Federal Alliance. Some of her rivals include the incumbent, Moses Kasibante and Brian Tindyebwa of NRM.

While the challenge for most women against male challengers is a mountain to climb, it is not insurmountable for Kamya. Many reasons explain this.

She is popular in Rubaga as she was once MP there (2001-2006).

Her participation in the 2011 presidential elections also greatly enhanced her credentials. She belongs to the Opposition that enjoys a lot of support in Kampala.

Syda Bbumba

Syda Bbumba (Nakaseke North) is one of Uganda’s longest-serving MPs.

Her first foray into Parliament was in 1996. Since then, she has been to the House, which has given her the chance to be selected for different Cabinet positions — the last of which was as finance minister.

If Bbumba wins next year’s elections, pundits opine this might be her last term since her popularity has been dwindling over the years. She won the primaries narrowly.

Her opponents in the race are David Kididi Bagarukayo, Peter Kasolo and Annet Katunywane. Her stiffest challenge is likely to come from Bagarukayo, whom she defeated narrowly.

Bagarukayo is the son of the late Ernest Bagarukayo, who supported the bush war that brought the NRM government in power.

Carol Birungi

Kalangala district Woman MP, Carol Birungi, has also switched goal posts from representing women to contesting in Kyamuswa County. Birungi wants to replace veteran politician, Tim Lwanga, who has retired from elective politics. Birungi will take on Moses Kabuusu, a former radio journalist, who recently crossed from DP to NRM. The race between the two is tight since they are equally strong candidates.

Other women contesting in constituencies

Gulu municipality:   Christine Atimango-Ario

Buhweju County:     Jane Fridah Bwiruka

Kagoma County:       Lydia Lukabala

Kikinzi West:             Jacqueline Kyatueire

Buyanja County:        Resty Birungi

Bugangaizi West:       Aisa Asaba

Erute North:               Christine Akello

Chwa East:                  Phoebe Aber

Kilak North:                Concy Adoch Nyapola

Nakifuma:                   Zulia Nakampaka

Mawokota North:      Amelia Kyambadde

Hoima Municipality:  Kabakumba Matsiko

Bubulo West:              Rose Mutonyi

Burahya County:         Margaret Muhanga

Tororo County North:  Annet Nyaketcho

Pian County:                  Anne Riisa Akolo

Ruhama County:           Santurina Kakyene Namanya

West Budama South:    Phibby Otaala

Leading presidential candidates have to spend billions of shillings to run their campaigns every election cycle. So where does all that money come from? Umaru Kashaka finds out.

The 2016 presidential race is expected to be more expensive, given the fact that the stakes are high.

In order for a candidate to reach all the 427 constituencies in the 112 districts, a lot of money will be needed to cover that much ground.

The three main contenders-President Yoweri Museveni of National Resistance Movement (NRM), Dr Kizza Besigye of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and Amama Mbabazi of Go Forward pressure group-appear to have got substantial funding to run their campaigns, but the independents are financially limping.

Ofwono speaks out on behalf of NRM

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Ofwono Opondo, the NRM deputy spokesperson, told New Vision that all their campaign money comes from local business people both Ugandans and non-Ugandans.

“100% of our money comes from local business people and we use quiet methods of asking supporters to contribute money or material like T-shirts, posters, etc. Museveni has a list of key people who raise money for the party,” Opondo said.

He said the President either telephones or instructs the party secretary general or Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda to raise the funds.

“Sometimes he writes to these people to go and collect the money. We stopped using local NRM chairmen to raise money from local people because they would not remit it,” he said.

He also said they recently had fundraising events both at State House in Entebbe and Kampala Serena Hotel where close to sh30b was raised for Museveni’s presidential campaign.

He also said close to sh10b was raised during nomination periods from candidates who vied for different positions on NRM party ticket.

Opondo said all NRM leaders who are in government contribute 20% of their monthly salary to the ruling party’s coffers. He referred to these contributions from party members as financing sources for Museveni’s campaign.

Opondo, who is also the head of the Uganda Media Centre, scoffed at NRM critics who raise the usual suspicion that the party could be illegally using state funds to run the campaign.

Dr Kenneth Omona, deputy NRM treasurer, explained that each NRM lawmaker has been contributing sh150, 750 every month, which is deducted at source and makes it sh39m each month for the 259 NRM members in the Ninth Parliament.

This money from NRM MPs’ salaries also runs caucus activities. But Opondo said sh150, 750 that MPs pay is at minimum. “There are those like the party chairman (Museveni) who contributes more of their monthly emoluments to the party. Ministers also contribute,” he said.

Opondo said the party gave out its two bank account numbers in Standard Chartered and Housing Finance Banks for people of good will to contribute.

But Ofwono and Omona declined to reveal how much they had put aside for Museveni’s campaign or received from the business community. But Ofwono hinted that they budgeted for sh20m for Museveni’s campaign rallies per district.

“On average a district has four constituencies. If you split sh20m into four constituencies that are in a district, we spend approximately sh5m at every rally,” Opondo explained.

He also said they signed a contract with big city musicians and each of them is paid sh1.5m to entertain people who attend Museveni’s rallies.

“We also hired Silk Events to manage the stages, sh1.5m on a van that carries Kampala-based journalists to move with the President. The cost of sh20m may go up or come down depending on how local people have planned,” Opondo stated.
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Ssemujju speaks on behalf of FDC

Just like NRM, FDC also relies on funding from party leaders especially Members of Parliament who remit their monthly contribution to the party treasury.

Kyadondo East MP and FDC spokesperson, Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda, told New Vision that unlike in last elections where they spent sh8b on Besigye’s campaign, this time round they had budgeted sh50b.

He said some of this money came from the monthly contributions of party members and local and foreign businessmen who asked not to be named, for fear of retribution.

Ssemujju confirmed to New Vision that the leader of opposition in parliament and commissioners contribute sh700, 000 each month, while chairpersons of committees remit sh500, 000. Shadow ministers are expected to remit sh450, 000 and MPs sh400, 000.

By virtue of being the largest opposition party in Parliament with 37 MPs, the FDC controls four oversight committees and provides the Leader of Opposition in the House.

These committees include public accounts committee, local government accounts committee and government assurances committee.

But some political parties here also get funds from UK and US parties that are linked to them such as Labour Party, Conservative Party, Democratic Party and Republican Party respectively to finance their campaign activities.

Ssemujju said running a modest presidential campaign costs about sh30m per day.

But he hastened to add that a presidential candidate can even spend sh100m a day. “For example on a daily basis, a presidential candidate addresses meetings before going for rallies and these meetings you have to hire venues and facilitate the attendants, but also a candidate moves with a team of a minimum of nearly 50 people and you need vehicles not less than 10,” he said.

“You spend money on fuel, accommodation and welfare of the people you move with,” he added.

Ssemujju said they have a bank account in Centenary Bank for a presidential candidate and for FDC party.

He said they also have campaign bureau headed by Kamuli district LC5 chairperson Salaamu Musumba and Wilberforce Kyambadde.

Supporters of Dr. Besigye recently started an act of donating money and other items at every  rally  to  facilitate  his campaign .

After addressing his first campaign early November at Nakivubo Stadium, Besigye took to his Facebook page a day later revealing that he received sh2.7m from his supporters.
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Josephine Mayanja- Nkanji speaks on behalf of Mbabazi

Mbabazi’s director of media and communications, Josephine Mayanja-Nkangi, told New Vision that they have a campaign war chest of more than $7m (approximately sh25.5b).

“We get funds from all places inside and outside of the country,” she said. She, however, declined to offer details, referring New Vision to the Go Forward Chief of Staff Solome Nakaweesi.

When contacted, Nakaweesi promised to give New Vision contacts of someone to furnish us with information, to no avail.

Mbabazi’s sister-in-law and also chief mobiliser, Hope Mwesigye, told New Vision that they have a finance committee for 2016 campaign and Mbabazi is the chairman. The Go Forward pressure group recently launched a fundraising campaign to build Mbabazi’s campaign kitty.

Robert Ssajjabbi, the spokesperson of this campaign dubbed ‘One Million for Change’, told reporters in Kampala that they were targeting one million funders.

Parties also got money from the Electoral Commission. In April this year, the Electoral Commission announced that it had released sh10b to facilitate the political parties’ activities ahead of the 2016 polls. Analysts say some candidates might also be using this money to run their campaigns.

The formula of distribution of EC money was on the basis of strength in Parliament. The NRM took sh8.2b, FDC sh1.14b, Democratic Party sh464m, Uganda People’s Congress sh309m, Justice Forum (Jeema) sh30.9m and Conservative Party also sh30.9m.

Some sources within these candidates’ camps told New Vision that some of the money is sourced from personal wealth. All the three main candidates run businesses in and outside Kampala.

Prof. Mwambusya Ndebesa, a political analyst and history don at Makerere University, argued that most of the business people must be behind-the-scenes bankrolling campaigns of these presidential candidates.

“Of course the businessmen give more money to NRM, but to be on the safe side you also give to the opposition in case they win or their supporters harass you,” Ndebesa said.

He, however, stressed that “you cannot rule out funding from outside in one way or the other which we don’t know.”

“Take the example of NRM and President Museveni, he can ask one of his friends a President and that President can give him like $10m. $10m is a lot of money in the circumstances of Uganda,” he said.

But the he noted that a President, especially from rich countries like Arab countries giving his compatriot $10m is not a big deal.

“Some private companies that are dealing in contracts here like railways, roads and energy or which were given some contacts through negotiations are paying back. They also fund the incumbent,” he said.

Ndebesa also said there might be some governments out there which are funding the opposition so as to unseat the President. He, however, said so far the opposition has not demonstrated that it has a lot of money.

“I mean I don’t see big convoys and if you look at the crowds that come to attend rallies, they do not even receive T-shirts. I hardly see posters and many adverts around Kampala, for example,” he said.