By George Murumba

10^th Sept 2012:

Gen. Muntu at a campaign rally

As the three-horse race to replace Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) President Dr Kizza Besigye enters its third week, the two leading campaign teams, Team-Muntu and Team-Nandala, have step-up the fight with campaign messages which highlight their respective candidates’ core strengths.

Team-Muntu, or at least some of his supporters, have decided to highlight the retired General’s clean public service record and clear conscience regarding the decisions he took over time.

Writing on his facebook page, Francis Mwijukye, a well known and strong FDC youth league leader who stuck by Dr Kizza Besigye’s side through the “walk-to-work” protests, but who now seems to be sympathetic to Gen. Muntu’s candidature for the FDC presidency, posed a few questions and answered them to highlight what Gen. Muntu is made of:

“…What sort of material is Mugisha Muntu made of”, Mwijukye asked before pointing out what he called “two surprising actions” that Gen. Muntu took which according to him, “are so rare not only in African politics but even the world over.”

Action No: 1 “…In 1981, he (Gen. Muntu) joined the bush war after his university studies, for he was convinced that the 1980 elections had been rigged by UPC, a party that was headed by Milton Obote, a close friend of his father.  Instead of looking for favours from that UPC, he followed his conscience to go to fight for what he believed in.”

Action No: 2 “…In 1998, as army commander, he disagreed with Museveni on the impunity of UPDF officers that were carrying out atrocities in Northern Uganda while fighting Joseph Kony, and Museveni wanted to compromise his principles by convincing him to be promoted to a minister which he refused, and left the post of army commander to be an independent citizen.”

Team-Mafabi weighs in

Meanwhile, supporters of the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Nathan Nandala Mafabi, who is also vying for the FDC presidency, are making a case for his election on the strength of his track record as a strong grassroots mobiliser, having delivered the whole of Bugisu to FDC in the last general election.

“FDC Preacher” Doreen, a known FDC activist who has had her fair share of run-ins with General Kayihura’s police force, made the case for Nandala’s election on her facebook page and said:

“…Yes FDC, it is time to make the right choice. We need a president who will build party structures. There is no way FDC can ‘function’ without grass root structures. We have to first empower FDC and then go for Museveni’s Electoral Commission. Nathan Nandala-Mafabi is the only man who has demonstrated that he can build structures.”

Tororo County MP Geoffrey Ekanya is the third candidate vying for FDC’s top job.  Although his campaign seems to be attracting less media attention, a recent poll by Research World International showed that he is a head of his parliamentary boss Nandala Mafabi in the north.  He may therefore pull off a few surprises.  END.  Login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories mid-week for our updates

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