By VOM News Team
As the by-elections for Bukimbiri County, Kisoro district draw closer, the consensus, across the border, is that the National Ruling Party (NRM) will carry the win, and continue to win in this part of the country as long as the Status quo remains the same.
It is a safe bet to say that, victor for Soroti East by- elections Herbert Edmund Ariko, sleeps easy tonight after being declared winner of the election, live on national television.
It is in his best interests now, to help galvanize the party and ensure that the party chairman, President Yoweri Museveni’s vision comes to pass in its entirety.
As Ariko prepares to enter into his new role, not everyone can completely share in his joy, especially since some 40 people were arrested by the Police.
Matters were made worse when Government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo behaved belligerently while on one of Uganda’s prime time television shows.
The issues that got O.O out of his seat and right into his counterpart’s face was, you guessed right, the Soroti by-election.
With less than a week to the Bukimbiri County by-election, here are a few snippets on what to expect, especially for the NRM party Chairman and the next Member of Parliament for Bukimbiri County, just might come in handy.
But, before we get into all of that, Bukimbiri County by-elections are as a result of a high court ruling that saw Hon. Eddie Kwizera Wa Gahungu removed from his office, as the people’s representative due to some malpractices and generally poor preparation by the electoral commission.
This highly anticipated by-election has since created room for some new players and some old, some friends and some foes, to enter into the race to become Bukimbiri County’s next Member of Parliament.
With great power, comes great responsibility and the next Member of Parliament for Bukimbiri County should not expect anything less.
Road Infrastructure
Bukimbiri County has been truly blessed with undulating hills however getting from place to place can be quite difficult and costly.
Both locals and foreign tourists have decried the poor roads in the area for far too long. The tourism roads leading to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, both Rushaga and Nkuringo often leave tour operators, clients and the rest of the community wondering, where all the money goes.
Water Scarcity.
The shortage of water in Bukimbiri County speaks volumes.
The highly water stressed area is home to some of the most animal species as well as hotel accommodation for tourists but without water, it is not as profitable as it should be.
Sectarianism, Nepotism and Intimidation
I stress these points because the issues mentioned above do not riddle Kisoro district’s elite class alone but they have caused mayhem across the entire country.
Some king makers, this very night are meeting up with young and upcoming entrepreneurial class to convince them to choose of other likely leaders, Eddie Wa Gahungu or Asgario Turyagenda.
Though both claim to be NRM loyalists, it is never quite easy to speak to any of them.
Deals are being made in Bars to switch people’s beliefs from one candidate to another, others are meeting in church vestries or private homes to discuss the same.
The Lion of Bwindi and NRM die hard Fidelis Kanyamunyu says people should not get distracted by anything that they see or hear but instead, focus on getting Bukimbiri district.
“The only way we can truly achieve this is to support the NRM flag bearer Eddie Kwizera because he is capable to speak for us and he has been able to do so much, in such a short period of time “, Kanyamunyu explained
Strong contender Asgario Turyagenda has been able to keep the financial taps running helping the vulnerable and the media during these perilous times.
All the candidates, involved meaning something to someone, otherwise we wouldn’t be going back to the polls, but here we are.
We can now only hope and pray that the elections go smoothly and peacefully.
Kisoro Resident District Commissioner Hajji Shafiq Sekandi has cautioned people from outside Bukimbiri County not to get involved.
“We are kindly asking all the candidates in this by-election not to ferry people from outside Kisoro to come and cause commotion, let us stick to the electoral commission road map and engage the true and actual residents of Bukimbiri County Sekandi explained.
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