Party Polls: War of Titans as Sironko NRM District Chair Battle Line is Drawn

Incumbent Tycoon Lumolo Mafabi, Woman MP Nambozo Mayoga to face off in a bitter battle, shocking secrets on which camp planted former LCV contestant Nabende in the race.

By Nathan Ngobi

As Gishu surgeons sharpen their swords to resize boys’ whoopers for the even year 2024, fresh sharp swords have already been drawn ahead of 2024 between the incumbent NRM district chairman and city tycoon of Kampala modernity Haji Sulaiman Lumolo Mafafi and Sironko district woman MP Florence Nambozo Mayoga over the district NRM seat.

The war of words now trending and hitting viral social media waves currently stem from the official recent announcement of the NRM party election roadmap by the Kyadondo road based NRM Electoral commission chairman Dr. Tanga Odoi.

Tanga announced that elections would kick start on 14^th March 2024 with the grassroot village level and the district executive position on 1^st April 2024.

However, in a shocking twist of events after Tanga’s pronouncement of the roadmap, Sironko woman Member of parliament Hon . Nambozo Florence Mayoga stormed a local radio station and declared her bid to unseat the long serving NRM district chairman tycoon Sulaiman Lumolo Mafabi.

Her declaration has so far raised mixed reactions and   tempers geared high among the two camps of Haji Lumolo Mafabi and her supporters whose ambitions now are to retain or grab the seat at all costs.

The Genesis

In 2015 little known teacher in a Kampala school but born in Bumasifa village Budadiri East in Sironko district   Nambozo Florence Wamala Mayoga  wife to Henry Mayoga formerly an accountant with the ministry of works  was tipped on how politically weak was Famiya Wadada (FDC)  the then Sironko district woman member of parliament.

Nambozo asked her husband to fund her mobilization under an initiative of  Sironko district empowerment project (SIDNET) where she distributed coffee seedlings to farmers and gave out books to all P7 candidates during that year in Sironko district.

The books bore her photograph printed by the picfare industries in Kampala.

During the 2015 NRM primaries Patience Webule now the current RDC Manafwa was the incumbent flag bearer who had tussled out with  Famiya Wadada in the 2011 general election and lost.

Patience Webule  pulled out the party flag to defend it against Florence Nambozo  Wamala Mayoga, Magombe Rebecca, Wozikonye Magret former headmistress Nakirungu SSS and later RDC Kibuku district and many others but the Bumasifa queen emerged victor .

Haji Sulaiman Lumolo Mafabi said that this is when he started supporting Nambozo Florence until she won the  Sironko woman MP slot in the 2016 general election.

“When candidates are looking for the party flag I do not show up to take sides even when is my daughter but when the candidate gets the flag I come in to fight for my party for life, I fought for Nambozo Florence in 2016 but when she lost the flag then I had to fight for the party flag bearers” Lumolo asserted.

In 2016 Haji Lumolo Sulaiman Mafabi fronted his son Isma Mafabi against the daughter of his long-time business friend Okware John Lucky one Dorothy Okware for the Eastern youth MP seat.

Isma won the slot, but  according to insiders and close friends of tycoon Lumolo disclosed that his ambitions were to groom the son with a strategy  for the 2021 general election for the Budadiri west seat against FDC secretary general and area MP Nathan Nandala Mafabi.

However, the boy became disrespectful to the father, performed poorly politically, frustrated and disappointed him but as a parent he changed his heart position to support the girl child in the names of Aisha Nabulo Mafabi for the woman MP Sironko district, this was the rebirth of the current titanic political battles between the Palestinians and Israelites of Sironko district.

In 2020 NRM primaries Aisha Nabulo Mafabi who had also mobilized voters under her Aisha foundation project beat the incumbent MP and flag bearer Nambozo Florence Mayoga for the NRM district woman MP flag.

This did not go well with Nambozo Florence who felt that Aisha could have had a supportive hand of the father since he was the district NRM chairman and she (Nambozo Mayoga) went ahead and defied the party rules and regulations by contesting on an independent ticket where she retained her woman member of parliament slot.

Their political fights  ended in the court battles where Nambozo Florence was given breathing space by court against the Lumolo camp.

A lot of accusations and counter accusations, war of words what we call verbal artillery attacks have for a long time been going on as Nambozo  was benching for the right time to avenge her full force to whip out  Haji  Lumolo and his camp from Sironko district and her prayers time were answered when Tanga Odoi opened the arena for her.

MP Nambozo speaks out

According to Hon. Nambozo  Florence  told us that politics is  competitive, so anyone can come upand contest on a position .

She said that her coming in will see that people  are given free and fair ground to contest on  party positions. This is in addition to a vindictive tendency that has been used on everyone that didn’t support his (Lumolo) personal interests.

She added that it is because of their mess in the party, Nandala Mafabi and the FDC team saw a gap and they used it very well. That is why Sironko district  has the biggest number of FDCs compared to other areas.

“I will contest against Lumolo Mafabi and defeat him for the position of the NRM district chairman come rain come sunshine” Nambozo vowed.

Lumolo Mafabi speaks on his side

For Haji, Lumolo says that politics is a game for everyone and no one can be stopped  to contest but the winner takes it all.

“I can not stop anyone to contest against me including MP Nambozo Florence, but in this case the voters decide on who they want and will be declared, let us go to the voters” Lumolo vowed.

He said that if Nambozo wants the party district seat and the woman MP slot no problem the voters of Sironko are there to decide for her, she will not vote herself.

Lumolo added that he has heard many other contestants coming up like Alex Nabende and Simbata but nothing scares him, what candidates must have in mind are what have they done for the people rather than voters of Sironko district.

According to Lumolo he has done a lot for the NRM party both at local and national levels and the voters in Sironko are aware about such achievements.

The NRM party House in Sironko

A lot of controversies have been going on in Sironko that whoever defeats Lumolo would not occupy the NRM house in the district.

There are only two NRM houses in the country, the one in Sironko district was the first one and now recently Rt. Hon Prime minister Robina Nabanja built one in Kakumiro district.

However, Haji Lumolo rubbished allegations that he would refuse people to occupy it in case he lost an election.

He said that he cannot eat his own vomit, “I gave and handed over the land title to the NRM party and now that property is  for the NRM party, not me and an individual” ,  Haji Lumolo asserted.

Fate of Nambozo after the NRM election

Several political scholars have dissected the fourth coming fate of Sironko woman MP Florence Nambozo Mayoga if she could beat Haji Lumolo Sulaiman and retain her parliamentary seat or if she loses to Lumolo what are her chances of gaining the parliamentary position.

Wadada who never wanted to disclose his other names said that if Nambozo lost to Lumolo then it would mean the end of her political journey in Sironko district.

While Paul says that if she wins against Lumolo then she could have proved her point to retain her parliamentary seat.

Other candidates in the race include Alex Nabende the former LCV contestant on the NRM ticket and Simbata both formerly in Lumolo’s camp.

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