Rukungiri, the home of Dr Kizza Besigye, the four-time presidential candidate, a political nemesis of Mr Museveni have literally ‘detoothed’ NRM after Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) candidate, Ms Betty Muzanira was declared winner of the Rukungiri District Woman MP By-election.
Ms Muzanira, got 50,611 votes to beat her biggest rival, National Resistance Movement’s Winfred Matsiko by 4282 votes. Matsiko got 46,329 votes while independent Prisca Mbaguta got 993 votes and People’s Progress Party’s Fabith Kukundakwe got 183.
In April, NRM tried to strike a big blow in the heart of the opposition. After losing the Jinja by-election to FDC, the ruling party hatched a plan to warm the hearts of Rukungiri voters. By winning the Rukungiri seat, NRM hoped to haunt Dr. Besigye and the opposition fraternity.
NRM donated money, trucks, mini buses and an assortment of machinery worth over Shs5 to 110 groups of people in Rukungiri District, ostensibly to help them fight poverty. With such a gesture, voters in Rukungiri had the a glimpse of ‘bringing services closer to the people’ with an NRM representative.
There was panic in the opposition camps. However as they went to vote, perhaps, they had long feasted! Rukungiri voters, like city slay queens ‘used’ NRM and gave the ‘goodies’ to their ‘broke sweetheart’, FDC.
The Rukungiri Woman MP seat fell vacant after Court of Appeal nullified Ms Masiko’s election following a petition by Ms Muzanira.