This point has also been made several times by Ofwono Opondo, the executive director of the Uganda Media Centre. Opondo is one of the few NRM senior officials who have not hidden their consternation for Kadaga and her style of politics.
CEC has at least 24 members, but according to people familiar with its work, the overwhelming majority of them are not Kadaga fans. These include Ruth Nankabirwa, the government Chief Whip, Lydia Wanyoto, the Women League chairperson, Kahinda Otafire, a special nominee, Godfrey Kiwanda, Justine Kasule Lumumba the secretary-general and Jacob Oulanyah, the vice-chairman Northern Region.
“The only persons I know who are Kadaga supporters are Mike Mukula [vice chairman Eastern], Dr Tanga Odoi [chairman Electoral Commission, and Haji Moses Kigongo [National vice-chairman. And she’s acutely aware of how unpopular she is. That’s why you have seen her previously castigating CEC and saying it has no role to play in the selection of the speaker,” the
Buganda has been one of Museveni’s strongest voting blocs since 1986 when he took power. But losing a big layer of support here suggests the president may have to walk a precarious political path to be able govern and to calm the escalating political tensions in the region.
Museveni polled 5.8 million votes of the 9.9 million votes cast while his main challenger polled 3.4 million votes. The Electoral Commission’s official data shows NRM got 35 per cent in the central region while Kyagulanyi’s NUP, a new player on the political scene, snapped up 62.01 per cent. The NUP revolution also torpedoed many ministers in Buganda.