Nakifuma County Member of Parliament, Fred Ssimbwa Kaggwa is tenaciously battling disillusionment and frustration caused by the party foot soldiers within his constituency.
The weekend turned very strange and unusual for Ssimbwa after he was kicked out of the National Unity Platform meeting organized at Kabimbiri to officially launch an update of the party register in Nakifuma County, Mukono district.
The agitated foot soldiers accused the MP of poor performance for the time in parliament on top of failure to fulfill promises he made during the campaign period.
Others reminded him of how they almost lost their lives during the campaigns canvassing support for him day and night but has never rewarded them since joining parliament.
At first, the legislator treated the accusations as mere sarcastic jabs but upon realizing that foot soldiers were turning rowdy, he slowly stepped back, entered his vehicle, and drove off.
Attempts by the Nakifuma-Naggalama LC3 Chairperson Isa Nvure to convince the legislator to return to the meeting were effortless.
Political critics in Mukono say dismissing the Member of Parliament from the community is uncalled for. It exposes misunderstandings and disorganized leadership within the party.
The incident is part of the indicators turning Nakifuma County into a political hotbed.
Within NUP alone, the serious rivalry started three years back when Sulaiman Kiwanuka who contested as an independent candidate and lost in the previous elections declared intentions to compete for the party card.
Since then, Ssimbwa and Kiwanuka have been fighting hard to prove supremacy within the community over who has approbation at the party headquarters.
Asked to comment about the recent incident, Kiwanuka noted that if residents chased out the legislator from the meeting it is their right.
“Leaders are, because of the voters, Nakifuma has several other prospective leaders, and we can stand in the gap others have failed to bridge,” Kiwanuka said.
Besides aspirants from NUP, the constituency has attracted other potential aspirants such as Robert Kafeero Ssekitoreeko (NRM), John Jackson Ntwatwa, and John Kyebatala.
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