By KT Reporter
NUP presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi has ordered his Lango sub region core campaigners led by former UPC MP Isha Otto Amiza of Oyam south and NUP flag bearer for Lira city mayor Patrick Ogwang (who until a few months ago was NRM and only left after failing to get state house blessing to be the NRM flag bearer for Amolator district chairman), to do all they can to rally all NUP supporters and sympathizers to vote for Betty Amongi for the position of Lira city woman MP.
Amongi is battling health minister Jane Ruth Aceng who is also the incumbent and NRM chairperson for the city. Amongi is also a minister for gender in the same cabinet where Aceng serves and defied her husband Akena who ordered all UPC flag bearers and MP candidates in Lango to de-campaign Museveni.
Betty Amongi is hostile to Kyagulanyi and is openly campaigning for Museveni’s re-election as president yet that hasn’t stopped the NUP president from directing his lieutenants to rally behind her in Lira city. The truth is NUP has few candidates in Lango and actually Mpuuga’s DF has more MP candidates than NUP.
Kyagulanyi says that Aceng is too much of a Musevenist than Betty Amongi who is also a minister and with a lot of state house money for city woman MP race. Kyagulanyi says his NUP would be more comfortable if Betty Amongi wins than if Aceng wins.
When he was in Lira, he de-campaigned Aceng openly in the false hope that would galvanize the UPC vote behind him. In actual sense, Kyagulanyi was deceived because even Akena became reluctant to openly campaign with him at his rally in Lira city where he has been the area MP since 2006.
Akena’s decision to keep away from Kyagulanyi was aimed at protesting Kyagulanyi’s closeness to veteran politician Isha Otto who has been openly fighting him on Lira radios as the UPC president. He has been the secretary general of the Peter Walubiri faction which has been fighting Akena since 2016. Otto has also been at war with Betty Amongi since 2011 when she defeated him for the position of Oyam south MP seat, which he lost to her. He has thrice stood and lost the Oyam race to Amongi.
In Oyam politics, Amongi is very close to Nelson Adeya who is the UPC chairman in Oyam yet he hates Isha Otto like a plague. The two Otto and Adeya first fell out in 2007 when they competed for the position of Oyam south MP seat which became vacant and a by-election came up after the death of area MP Okullo Epak.
Many Amongi supporters consider Kyagulanyi’s endorsement of their candidate unwelcome because they consider Isha Otto, who Kavule made the NUP coordinator for Lango sub region, hostile and unworthy.
They also believe that Kyagulanyi is a mere opportunist who doesn’t have much influence in Lira city so as to be able to influence any electoral outcomes in the race between Aceng and Betty Among.
“His endorsement of our boss is just byoya bwa nswa [empty air] because his NUP doesn’t have any support here. If they had any support, why did they fail to get a NUP candidate for Lira city west MP, Lira city east MP seat and that of Lira city woman MP? All this shows he is just trying to tie himself on us when in actual sense, his endorsement doesn’t add any value,” lamented an insider in Betty Amongi’s campaign camp. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
