The first National Vice Chairman of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), Alhaji Moses Kigongo, has cautioned Kawempe North residents against violence, envy, and hatred during Thursday’s by-elections. Kigongo was speaking at the campaign rally for his daughter, Faridah Nambi, in Kanyanya on Monday.
This marked the 10th day of the campaigns for the Kawempe North by-election, which is scheduled for Thursday of this week. The 11th day will feature the presence of NRM Chairman, President Yoweri Museveni, at Kawempe Mbogo Grounds on Tuesday.
Kigongo told the voters in Kawempe that elections will come and go, but the process should not leave them disunited or filled with hatred, as this could lead to violence. He also emphasized that the NRM party did not enter the Kawempe North by-election just to participate but to win the election as well.
The campaigns have also received a boost from the Prime Minister of Uganda, Robina Nabbanja, who has been in Kawempe North for three days campaigning for Nambi. The Minister for Kampala, Hajat Minsa Kabanda, among other NRM dignitaries, has also been part of the campaign.
During the campaigns, Daniel Mayombo Kigozi, the NRM chairperson of the area, asked Nabbanja for clean water. Mayombo said that in Kanyanya, residents use water from spring wells, which have been condemned in Kampala and could spread diseases due to water contamination.
He also mentioned that the National Water reservoir tank supplying the area needs to be expanded to provide enough water for the residents. Additionally, he pointed out that a jerry can of water currently costs between 500 and 1,000 shillings, which residents consider expensive.
Mayombo also reported to Nabbanja that they have no seed school in their area where low-income earners can send their children for education. He further said that most of the youth in his area earn a living from hand-to-mouth, but the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) frequently arrests these young men and women who work along the road, confiscating or consuming their produce.
Mayombo asked the Prime Minister to give roadside vendors a day when they can work freely so that they can support their families without interference from KCCA. Prime Minister Nabbanja urged Kanyanya residents to vote for Faridah Nambi on Thursday so that their concerns could be brought to the floor of Parliament, allowing the people of Kawempe North to benefit.
The Prime Minister added that opposition members who claim they want to bring down the government are simply confusing Ugandans, as they, too, benefit from the very same government. She also pointed out that Kawempe North has spent 25 years with opposition leaders who have been unable to effectively lobby the government for better service delivery in the area.
From Kanyanya, Nabbanja went to Komambo and Kikaaya, where she also rallied residents to vote for NRM’s Faridah Nambi. Nabbanja stressed that there is only one NRM candidate endorsed by the party to be the flag bearer, emphasizing that others are not from NRM.
This comes after Hanifah Karadi, an NRM cadre, opposed the NRM party’s endorsement of Nambi, which led her to stand as an independent candidate. Nambi, who was on bended knees, asked the people of Kanyanya to vote for her on Thursday so that she could lobby the government for development and also solve the problems of the people of Kawempe North.
She also boasted that, being from the ruling party, she can influence top government officials to bring about significant development in Kawempe North. Nambi’s rally was also boosted by musicians and entertainers such as Ronald Mayinja, Stabua Natooro, and Kampala DJ Ssuuna Ben, among others. This is the third consecutive day that Prime Minister Robina Nabbanja is campaigning for Faridah Nambi in Kawempe North.