Why NUP’s Big Crowds Didn’t Win Votes in Hoima
On Monday, September 12, 2023, in Hoima District, something big was happening. People were getting ready to vote for their leader.
Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, from the National Unity Platform (NUP) party, came to Hoima to support their candidate, Mr. Moses Aguuda. They wanted him to win.
The city was filled with NUP supporters. They had red flags, banners, and sang songs for their candidate. It was an incredible sight. People were everywhere, on the streets, sidewalks, and even the tops of buildings.
But then, when it was time to vote on Thursday, something surprising happened. Mr. Aguuda didn’t get as many votes as they thought he would.
He came in third place out of five candidates with 3,972 votes. The second-place candidate, Vincent Muhumuza, got 12,020 votes. The winner was Uthuman Mugisha from the NRM party with 18,353 votes. Mr. Patrick Musinguzi of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) got 271 votes, and Mr. Lenox Mugume, an Independent, got 179 votes.
Mr. Aguuda said that the big crowd actually caused some problems. His competitors, especially the NRM camp, started spreading rumors and intimidating voters because they were worried about the NUP’s big support.
He said that after Kyagulanyi’s visit, there were issues. His posters and banners were removed, making it hard for people to know who he was. Also, a rally he planned with Kyagulanyi was canceled because the venue was booked for something else.
He suspected that some of his supporters were bribed or stopped from voting because of heavy security. However, this couldn’t be verified at the time.
Even though Hoima had many registered voters, only 35,519 voted on Election Day, and 59,305 didn’t vote. This was strange.
Some people in Hoima said that NUP doesn’t have strong support in rural areas like it does in the city. They need more support there.
Others said that NUP needs to make sure its supporters are registered to vote. Some people in the big crowd were just there to see Kyagulanyi, the musician, not the politician.
So, even though the NUP had a huge rally, it didn’t turn into votes. There was a gap between the people who supported NUP and the people who voted for them.