Kampala, (UG):- Moses Nsereko, the Kawempe North MP hopeful Tuesday collapsed to the ground after the National Unity Platform (NUP), a party he supports wholeheartedly declared Lawyer Elias Luyimbaazi Nalukoola as the official flagbearer in the upcoming March 13 By-Election.
On a Tuesday morning, all the ten (10) candidates turned up at the NUP Headquarters in Makerere Kavule, each one with hopes of carrying the party’s flag in the next month’s by-election, which NUP is poised to win by a landslide victory.
The 10-man race included Elias Luyimbazi Nalukoola (the eventual winner), Muhammad Lussa Luwemba (formerly Alex, the late Ssegirinya’s Assistant), Umar Magala, Mathias Mulumba, Moses Nsereko, Salim Sserunkuuma, Fredrick KaKIika, Charles Rubagumya, Kenneth Ssekungu and Saul Kulya Zziwa
Nsereko, who last week turned the debate session into a comedy performance, drawing laughter from the audience instead of delivering substantive policy proposals today saw ‘darkness in his eyes on the bright sunshine’, with his political dream crashed harder than a Wi-Fi signal in a remote village.
When the NUP Election Management Committee Chairperson, Ms Mercy Walukamba announced Luyimbazi as the party ticket holder with an impressive 71.4%, Nsereko, with a meagre score of 14.26% (in 9th place), lost breath for a second and down he went with a thud.
Onlookers described the collapse as not the kind of majestic collapse that evokes sympathy, but the type that makes you wonder if someone just realised their bank account is emptier than their political ambitions.
Kneading his forehead like a man trying to massage away reality, Nsereko looked dazed. By the time his supporters had fanned him back to consciousness and peeled off his jacket, the man was sweating like a frog in mating season an apt metaphor, given the political scramble he’d just lost.
“First leave. I am not feeling well, guys. Leave and get a rest,” Nsereko murmured, as he struggled to compose himself. He appeared wiping away tears, a picture of a man whose dreams had just crash-landed into reality.
Moments later, still visibly shaken, Nsereko weakly pleaded, “I need water,” as if hoping hydration might wash away the bitter taste of political defeat.
To the casual observer, it might have seemed like Nsereko was auditioning for a role in the Bakayimbira Dramactors, perhaps as a tragic hero. But the real drama lay in the cold, hard numbers of the National Unity Platform’s (NUP) Electoral Management Committee results.
Nalukoola, in his brief victory speech after getting the NUP mantle assured his supporters that he would be a voice “that will never be silenced.”
“Kawempe North is getting a voice that will never be silenced. I will stand firm for the people of Kawempe North and the people of Uganda,” the former Democratic Party loyalist declared.
Umar Magala was the only other aspirant to cross the 50% mark, managing 52.8%, while Muhammad Lussa Luwemba, the late Ssegirinya’s former PA learned the hard way that family ties, a name change, and divine intervention combined are no substitute for actual political appeal.
He managed 35.8%, to finish third and sad, proving that summoning spirits, especially those of the late Muhammad Ssegirinya does not work at the ballot box.
Nalukoola will now face it off with the ruling party’s Faridah Nambi (NRM) and opposition FDC’s musician-turned-politician Sadat Mukiibi, aka Kalifah Aganaga.
Nambi, daughter of NRM’s life National Vice-Chairman Moses Kigongo, is expected to lean on deep pockets with a financial muscle from his father’s connection with the state, while Aganaga will likely bank on his star power; assuming voters can separate hit songs from political hits.
The Kawempe North MP Seat fell vacant with the demise of Hon Muhammad Ssegirinya, and the Electoral Commission has set March 13, as the date on which the by-election will be conducted.
Send us your story or opinion on: dailyexpressug@gmail.com. You can also follow Daily Express on WhatsApp for all the latest news and updates.
