“It was Hon. Nambeshe marketing NUP in Bududa and, by extension, eastern Uganda, and not NUP marketing Nambeshe. The people of Bududa have vowed to sever political ties with NUP if Hon. Nambeshe is not appointed as the Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP). News circulating on social media indicates that it is likely to be Nakawa West MP Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi to pick up the cue from Hon. Mathias Mpuuga. Bobi Wine, who had been given the name when he visited Bududa, is likely to lose that name on account of his present behavior. Hajji Mansa Musa, one of the politicians from Bududa, says the name ‘Mubuya’ given to Bobi Wine should be withdrawn with immediate effect.
Bobi Wine was named Mubuya by some elders in Bududa during the eve of the 2021 General elections when he visited Bududa—a move calculated to symbolize the closer relationship between NUP and the people of Bududa. However, after Mpuuga was preferred as Leader of Opposition, many people from Bududa began distancing themselves from NUP.
The current statements by Bobi Wine on BBC Radio regarding homosexual people have deepened the rift among many of his voters and the church as well. Bududa people are core culturalists, and the current statements by the NUP principal have put him in a bad light with his hitherto strong supporters.
Who is John Baptist Nambeshe? Hon. Nambeshe is about 59 years of age and grew up in rank as a staunch NRM supporter. Later, he contested and won as the Mayor of Bududa Town Council and eventually Chairman LCV Bududa District for one term. In 2016, he contested as the Member of Parliament for Manjiya County, displacing his long-term mentor Hon. Wakikona.
Some tactics that endeared voters to him were when he hypnotized his voters with his antics of eating nails. He openly brought it to their attention that if he can ‘eat nails, how about mere thorns?’ At that time, the nails may have been a metaphor for Hon. Wakikona, whom he had just defeated in 2016 for the Member of Parliament for Manjiya County.
Hon. Nambeshe is an assistant physician by training and also a born-again Christian. He can still win an election in Bududa as per the current political assessment on whichever ticket, whether NRM, UPC, or FDC. He is more politically robust than the likes of Hon. Nandala and can win a parliamentary election with as little as 50M, unlike Hon. Nandala, who spends billions of shillings in Budadiri West to get re-elected.
The failure to appoint Hon. Nambeshe into a serious appointive position in NUP might make him an easy prey for NRM. Many old people in Manjiya who are not politically connected still regard Hon. Nambeshe as NRM, and during the 2021 elections, over 60% of votes came from his NRM voters. Nambeshe has also played it safe and has refused to radicalize Bududa with NUP, as there is no councilor in Bududa on the NUP ticket except one from Nangako Town Council, who later lost interest. Many of his voters esteem him and were recently accompanied by the Bugisu cultural leader to London.
The writer is a researcher from Mbale. Tel: 0706655811.
