Samuel Walter Mukaaku Lubega, 43, came to the presidential race in a surprise way. He first claimed to have wanted to take the DP ticket, but the party had already elected Norbert Mao as president and, therefore, flag-bearer.
Finally he came as an independent candidate. Given his late entrance into the race, he was not expected to get a big support. However, he has been an influential political player for many years.
He is an ardent federalist and unshakable member of the Democratic Party, was Founder Member of the Uganda Young Democrats (UYD) 1995 – 1996, and Head of the Baganda Cultural/Youth Student Association (Nkoba za Mbogo).
He is a graduate of the Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry, Food Science & Technology from Makerere University and the Faculty of Social Sciences, Politics and International Relations from the University of Wales, Swansea, UK.
He was born in Buseebwe-Sango, Mawokota county Mpigi and raised in Kawempe-Mbogo, Kampala. He received his B.Sc degree in Agricultural Economics from Makerere University, and his M.Sc in Policy Planning and Management from the Federal University of Wales, Swansea.
He taught in secondary schools and higher institutions of learning in Uganda and the United Kingdom. In 1995, along with four others, he founded the UYD (the youth wing of the Democratic Party), to which he served as the National Speaker. From 1996 to 1998, he was in exile, citing political reasons.
Since I985 he has served the Democratic Party (DP) in different capacities as: (i) Party Policy Engineer; (ii) Member of National Campaign Team for Presidential Candidate (Information and Youth Desk); (iii) National Director Grass-root Mobilisation and Coordinator House-to-House campaigning. And in all the above three roles he prominently helped to spearhead the return to multiparty democracy and canvassing for DP and Opposition Local Government Councillors, Parliamentary and Presidential Candidates – 1996, 2001 and 2006.
