In the second part of our series detailing the men and women who have been instrumental in Museveni’s campaigns and eventual election victories in 1996 and 2001, today Eagleonline brings you the ‘king makers’ from the Busoga and Bukediregioions, writes Steven Mandu.
Busoga Region
Rebecca Kadaga
Rebecca Kadaga is the current Speaker of Parliament, who joined national politics when she was elected to represent Kamuli District in the NRC in 1989 and later in 1994 as delegate to the Constituent Assembly. In 1996, she was elected Woman Member of Parliament representing Kamuli District and at the time she also served as Secretary General of the East African Women Parliamentary Association.
From 1996 until 1998, Kadaga was the Ugandan Minister of State for Regional Cooperation (Africa and the Middle East). She then served as Minister of State for Communication and Aviation from 1998 until 1999. Between 1999 and 2000 she was the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs. She was elected Deputy Speaker of Parliament in 2001, a position that she held until 19 May 2011, when she was elected Speaker of Parliament
The above appointments made her a force to reckon on with in Busoga region but more so in Kamuli and she used her popularity to deliver victory for the President.
Basoga Nsadhu
The late David Livingstone Basoga Nsadhu hailed from Kalitumba Village Busiki County in Iganga District. He came in touch with Yoweri Museveni during the National Resistance Army (NRA) days and joined politics win 1989 when he was elected to the National Resistance Council to represent Busiki County. He served as Minister of State for Information from 1997 to 2003 when he passed on. He was very instrumental in soliciting support for Museveni in Busoga region particularly in Iganga.
Specioza Wandira Kazibwe
Dr. Specioza Wandira Kazibwe began her political career as a member of the youth and women’s wings of the Democratic Party. She later won her first election as a village leader, on the ticket of the National Resistance Movement in 1987. She was later elected as Women representative for Kampala and became chairperson of Advisory Committee of Museveni election campaign in 1996.
She first began serving the administration of Yoweri Museveni in 1989, when she was appointed Deputy Minister for Industry, a post she held until 1991. From 1991 until 1994, she served as Minister for Gender and Community Development. She was a member of the Constitution Assembly which drafted Uganda’s new constitution in 1994. In 1996, she was elected Member of Parliament for the constituency of Kigulu South in Iganga District. From 1994 until 2003, Specioza Kazibwe served as Uganda’s Vice President and as Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries.
There is no doubt that having held all these dockets Museveni’s success in Busoga and especially Iganga heavily depended on Kazibwe. She did a lot in wooing female supporters into Museveni’s camp.
Patrick Bageya
Known as the Lion of Iganga (Nsolo Nkambwe), the late George Patrick Bageya was a significant figure in Iganga. He met President Museveni during the anti- Amin struggles while a member of FRONASA. He came to elective politics in 1994 when he was elected as a Constituent Assembly delegate to represent Kigulu South. In 1996, he attempted to go to Parliament but was defeated by Specioza Wandira Kazibwe. In 2001, he made a political comeback by becoming district chairman for Iganga before Bugiri and Kaliro were carved out. He then lost to Mr Assuman Kyafu but was appointed as RDC for Busia. With this background he did a lot for Museveni in Busoga. He died in a road accident.
Victoria Ssekitoleko
She hails from Busoga and served as Minister for Agriculture from 1986 to 1995. She was a member of the National Resistance Council. Her career in Uganda’s politics came to an end in 1995 when she was appointed by FAO to work as Sub Regional Representative to Eastern and Southern Africa, based in Harare, Zimbabwe, till 2004. From 2006 she was FAO representative in China, Mongolia, and South Korea, till 2011.. She also worked with FAO in Ethiopia under the African Union (AU), and to the Economic Community for Africa (ECA) (2005–2006).
Kirunda Kivejinja
Kirunda Kivejinja is a veteran politician, having started his journey under the Uganda People Congress in the 1960s.
In 1986 when Museveni came to power, he was appointed Minister of Relief and Social Rehabilitation. He has since served as Minister of Internal Affairs and Third Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda. Since August 2012 he has been made Senior Presidential Advisor for Internal Affairs to President Museveni. Kivejinja played a great part in mobilizing votes for the Movement and Museveni in particular since he had always been in mobilization since his youth days.
Henry Kyemba
He has seen it all, having served under almost all regimes in Uganda. He was a career civil servant when Milton Obote was ousted from power in 1971. He was later to return and at one time became health minister under Iddi Amin. He fled to exile and on return served in the post-Amin government. He then worked under Yoweri Museveni’s government, serving as minister and later in various portfolios including as chairperson of the Health Service Commission. During his active days in politics under the NRM, he was instrumental in party activities mainly in Busoga.
Fred Mukisa
Following the capture of power by the National Resistance Movement in 1986, Fred Mukisa returned to Uganda and worked as a Political Mobilizer, for the NRM in the Busoga Region from 1986 until 1987. In 1987, he was appointed Special District Administrator (SDA) until 1991 after which he was transferred to the NRM Headquarters in Kampala, where he served as the Deputy Director of the NRM Secretariat from 1994 until 1998.
In 1998, he was appointed Minister of State for Fisheries, serving in that capacity until 2001. He also served as a member of the Uganda Land Commission from 2003 until 2006 .In 2006, he was re-appointed Minister of State for Fisheries. In a space of about six months from November 2010 until May 2011, he lost both his parliamentary seat in a primary election and his cabinet post in a cabinet reshuffle. Mukisa role was always vital for Museveni’s victory both in 1996 and 2001.
Bukedi Region
Paul Etiang
Paul Orono Etiang is a veteran diplomat and politician from Tororo and served as Member of Parliament, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs under Iddi Amin in 1973 and was also Uganda’s envoy to the OAU in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He eventually became Deputy Prime Minister under the NRM regime. During the days when he was Minister, he was very influential in Tororo and he helped to deliver victory for the National Resistance Movement and Museveni particularly.
Chango Macho
The late Chango Macho W’Obanda was an academic and politician right from his youthful days as a student in the United Kingdom. He was also incorruptible, blending in very well with Museveni’s policies on zero tolerance to corruption. Chango Macho, who many admired for his steadfast belief in fairness, died about two years ago.
Gabriel Opio
Gabriel Opio served as Member of the National Resistance Council between 1989 and 1996, representing Samia Bugwe in then Tororo district.
In 1996, he joined the Ugandan Parliament, representing Samia-Bugwe South in the newly created Busia District. Later in 1999, he was appointed State Minister for Finance, responsible for planning and investments, serving in that position until 2001 when he lost his parliamentary seat to Simon Mayende.
Opio also worked as gender minister under the NRM and also served in various capacities before eventually fading from the political scene. Available information indicates he is planning a comeback after the 2016 elections.
Emanuel Dombo
Emmanuel Dombo joined national politics in 1996 after having completed university where had served as Guild President. He was elected to Parliament representing the people of Bunyole, a position he still holds. Referred to as the longest serving MP, Dombo at one time attempted disagree with NRM by joining the Parliamentary Advocacy Forum (PAFO), but was wooed back. He has played a great part in preaching the NRM ‘gospel’ in Bunyole, scoring high percentages in both1996 and 2001 elections.
Alleluya Ikote
Alleluya Ikote was Member of Parliament for Paliisa District until she was defeated by Jennifer Namuyangu Byakatonda in 2001. But much as she lost her seat she had been instrumental mobilizing support for President Museveni.
Dorothy Hyuha
Dorothy Hyuha was first elected to the Uganda Parliament in 1996, as the Member of Parliament (MP), for Tororo District, a post she held until 2006. In 2006, after Butaleja District was carved out of Tororo District in 2005, Ms Hyuha contested for the seat of Women’s Representative for Butaleja District, on the National Resistance Movement party ticket but was defeated by the youthful Cerinah Nebanda (RIP).
Ms Hyuha played a key role in ensuring Museveni’s victory in the Bukedi region especially due to her position as Deputy Secretary General of the National Resistance Movement. She lost her husband and is today Uganda’s High Commissioner to Tanzania.
Otheino Akika
He hails from Budama in Tororo District and he is a former MP for West Budama constituency. He has also served as State Minister for Water in the Museveni government. His closeness with the president gave him the strength to influence the people of Tororo to vote for President Museveni both in 1996 and 2001.
Tezira Jamwa
Tezira Jamwa hails from Tororo and came to the political limelight when she was elected as delegate to the Constituent Assembly in 1994. From 1996 to 2001 she was Member of Parliament for West Budama North in Tororo District. She was later appointed Resident District Commissioner, a position she held from 2001 until 2007. This therefore, gave her the mandate to mobilize support for Museveni in Tororo both in 1996 and 2001.
