Buyende, (UG):- The Minister for Presidency, Hon Milly Babirye Babalanda on Tuesday suffered a rude welcome in eastern Uganda’s Buyende District after the electorate staged a demonstration protesting her intentions to stand for the post of Member of Parliament (MP) for Budiope West constituency.
The targeted constituency, Budiope West, is currently represented in parliament by Hon Ibrahim Kyoto, an NRM member, just like Babalanda.
Residents who participated in the demonstrations that started on Tuesday ahead of the Buyende District Women’s Day celebration at Iringa Primary School on Wednesday cited the rejection of the minister for the reason that she was not born in Budiope and is neither a resident in the district.
“She is only coming for the votes,” they said.
Ibrahim Mukisa, a resident in Iringa said Babalanda is wasting her time because they are not willing to vote a foreigner. “What Babalanda is doing is wasting her time. We have able politicians who can lead us. We cannot vote for a masquerader yet we have our brothers and sisters,” Mukisa said.
Mukisa was part of a large group of young men and women who donned t-shirts with words demonizing Babalanda’s political ambitions. They called the minister a political reject.
Rejection, Rejections and more…
Milly Babalanda is one of the ministers who are not MPs. However, her attempts to become an MP in 2026 have seen her show interest in constituencies like Kamuli Municipality, Buzaaya County inKamuli, Jinja City, Jinja North, and Kaliro district.
She has been rejected by the voters there. What is happening to Buyende today is not new to her.
“She is desperate but it should be known to her that Budiope is not the place that welcomes political rejects. There is nothing here that belongs to her,” Hellen Mugoya, a resident of Buyende town, said.
“We are not desperate to vote for her just because she is a minister and has money,” she adds.
John Mulimba, another of the protestors said Budiope is for people born and raised in Budiope but political manipulators and opportunists.
“We have educated children who can represent us. We cannot allow Babalanda to come here and exploit us because she has money. We have seen that people who use money to get into political office are not developmental,” Mulimba said.
Buyende district has three constituencies – Budiope West represented by Ibrahim Kyoto, Budiope East represented by Moses Hashim Magogo and the District Woman MP seat represented by Mary Nakato.
The constituency remains a stronghold for the ruling National Resistance Movement and President Yoweri Museveni, and it remains to be seen who will emerge to hold the NRM flag in the 2026 general elections.
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