Mbarara
By Devine Atwine
A disagreement has erupted between the female MP aspirants Bonnie Kiconco Kashaija Mutungi, the Mbarara City woman MP on NRM ticket, and Atukwasa Rita Bwahika, who returned as an Independent Candidate for the same position with NRM’s Yellow Color and the symbol of the Bus
This has angered the NRM’s Bonnie that she is the one allowed to use it because she is the official NRM candidate for Mbarara city woman aspirant and she is still waiting from the NRM tribunal and if it fails she will go to court.
“We have talked about using yellow colors and party symbols but the NRM party said they will see how to handle it and are waiting. Once they fail to handle this matter, I will either run to court or to the NRM tribunal to force her (Rita) to change and put her official logo which is a clock”. Kiconco said.
This Disagreement came after Atukwasa Rita Bwahika unveiled her official campaign portrait ahead of the general elections scheduled for January 2021 designed in a yellow color which is the official color of the NRM Party.
Kiconco accused Rita of trying to disorganize and confuse her supporters and to bring Divisionism within the NRM party which is unacceptable according to party rules and regulations.
According to Wilson Tumwine, the NRM party Chairman Mbarara City revealed to this website that the official nominated NRM flag bearers are the ones who are allowed to use the NRM party symbol of a bus and yellow color, Independents should use other colors and symbols of their choice like clock, chair among others.
Kiconco Bonnie Kashaija Mutungi was declared the NRM flag bearer of the Mbarara City Woman MP Race after Rita Atukwasa’s victory was nullified by the NRM Elections Tribunal following massive rigging and other electoral malpractices.
According to the tribunal, Rita Atukwasa pulled 102 votes at one polling station, the declaration forms were also tampered with to grant her 6,102 votes. The tribunal found that this polling station and others, at which Rita’s votes were inflated, substantially affected the final result.
After nullifying the results, Rita bounced back as an independent Candidate and she was nominated by the National Independent Electoral Commission as an independent candidate in the coming general elections 2021.
Rita says she is an independent candidate not because she wanted it but people of Mbarara City requested her to come back after stealing their victory in the NRM party elections and she is not in disagreement or fighting with anyone.
She says, besides being an independent aspirant, she still subscribes to NRM Party and she believes in her party NRM so no one can stop her from using yellow color, which is the color of her party.
She says she is not standing because she is looking for employment but rather to serve her people who suffered a lot. Her emphasis, she says, she will be on poverty alleviation in households, promoting human rights and tourism in Mbarara City.
“I will use my leadership and management expertise to be a channel of unity and collective development among different sects, belief, and ideologies. This is on top of working harmoniously with the government in promotion and implementation of its programs especially economic empowerment, health living campaigns, girl child education and good governance”. Rita said.
In Mbarara City, 5 women were nominated as candidates and these include; Bonnie Kiconco Kashaija Mutungi (NRM), Rita Atukwasa Bwahika (Independent), Agatha Atusasire (FDC), Irene Number One Kajumba (NUP), and Kyomugisha Dona (Independent)
