Former MP Muyanja nominated for Mukono district chairmanship

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Nominations for Mukono aspirants for the district chairman’s position and LCV councillors entered the second day with a lower turnout and fewer candidates reporting to formalise their candidature.

Among the prominent figures who presented their papers was former Mukono South Member of Parliament and chairman of the Buganda Parliamentary Forum in the 10th Parliament, Johnson Muyanja Ssenyonga.

He was accompanied by his seconder, his wife Hilda Muyanja.

Standing on a National Unity Platform (NUP) ticket, Muyanja explained that he chose to contest for the district chairmanship rather than Parliament, a position he had earlier expressed interest in, because services are better delivered at the grassroots.

He added that many politicians have concentrated on parliament and neglected local governments, leaving a vacuum at the district level where he said services are more urgently needed.

Mark Muganzi Mayanja, the Mukono Electoral Commission Returning Officer handing over nomination files to Muyanja after his nomination.

In his campaign pledges, Muyanja said he would lobby for the district, combat land grabbing and tackle corruption, which he observed had undermined development.

“I have ever been in Parliament and I know how to go about lobbying formalities for lower local governments,” he assured voters.

Muyanja, who previously served as president of the Mayors’ Association and mayor of Mukono Municipality for many years, noted that he is a student of local governance at the Galileo College in Israel, giving him extensive experience in managing district affairs.

When asked about disgruntled NUP supporters who chose to run as independents after being denied party cards, Muyanja took a different stance from Mukono district NUP chairperson, Betty Nambooze Bakireke. While Nambooze encouraged them to stand as independents if they believed they had public backing, Muyanja urged them not to split the party’s strength.

“As party members, we need a strong backing of our party; by standing as independents, it will create divisions which are not of any benefit to us,” he said.

Muyanja also pledged to prioritise the fight against youth unemployment, stressing that since young people form the largest percentage of the population, securing their placement in the job market is crucial for national development.

His seconder, Hilda Naddunga Muyanja, thanked NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu for endorsing them to represent the party in Mukono and also thanked voters for supporting her husband. 

Others nominated include Catherine Adoi, an independent candidate for Nama subcounty contesting to join the district council, Martha Nassaazi (NUP), who wishes to retain her seat as a councillor representing Nakifuma-Naggalama town council, and Joram Kabali (NUP), the current Mukono district vice chairperson, who has been nominated as an aspirant for Naggojje subcounty.

Others are Faisal Muwanga (independent) for Gulu-Ntawo ward, Achiles Lwembawo Nsubuga (independent) for Nantabulirirwa, Aida Naggita of Justice Forum for Nama subcounty, among others.