As of today, the Democratic Party under Party President Norbert Mao has fielded an “independent” candidate on the DP ticket. This is happening for various of reasons. The DP as a party have lost vital members, leaders and lawmakers to other parties. The boat is leaking and there is no intent of stopping the leakage, apparently.
Mao has chosen a person who launched her own campaign back on the 22nd July 2020, Beatrice Kayanja to run as the DP Lord Mayoral Flag-bearer for Kampala in the 2021 General Elections. That is fine in itself. Her acumen as a businesswoman and entrepreneur speaks for herself. Her role as an activist for development and leading a conference to bring business to Uganda speaks for herself. Alas, Beatrice as the person isn’t the issue.
It is the supposed grassroot mobilisation. The party structure and the lack of potential new leaders, which should worry. As the man has dissolved the DP Block, the coalition ahead of the General Election. As it didn’t get the spark and the needed juice to become a TDA or IPC. It just became “hot-air” and got forgotten.
It must be a reason, why the party are picking out a person who has been vocal online and in social media. A person who has already retained her own aspiration for the Lord Mayor and would stand alone doing it. The DP must really be weak to do this. That they cannot find anyone of their members, inside the party and within the DP Kampala to stand as the Lord Mayor.
That is how it seems. Since, they we’re already pushing Joseph Mayanja aka Jose Chameleone as the Lord Mayor, but he ditched the party for NUP. Their previous and incumbent Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has gone to the FDC. Therefore, the two big-shots, the ones who has a big platform and would be recognized would not stand as the Flag-Bearer this time around.
The fallout of Chameleone must really hurt Mao. As he offered appointments and political capital to him before he went to NUP. It was just the ambition and the meal-ticket politician who left DP for NUP. That wasn’t shocking, but shows that even Mao’s offerings wasn’t that sweet. If it was, a man like Jose would stick around.
You can wonder, why does the oldest party of the Republic got to pick a random candidate of their own? If their was picking outside their own party, why not start negotiations with Nabilah Naggay Sempala, the Woman MP for Kampala? She cannot stand as MP and have been blocked from the FDC. She has a name and is well-known, why go for Beatrice?
That is why the DP is weak. The decisions seems to be short-sighted at best. Yes, it is better to field someone like Sempala MP. If they are believing in the race and wants to invest in it. Use a familiar face and re-issue her as a priced deflector. That would be a bet and show some political game. Not that Sempala MP has any positive reputation and is another one of those who does what it takes during campaigning, but is never seen after the elections. Still, she would have some character into the mix. Not sure what Kayanja will do…
It only shows that the DP doesn’t trust their own and doesn’t promote their own. At least not to the positions that counts. The ones with prestige and honour. There they need the names, the shiny diamonds and the ones who can spark interest. Instead, of considering using own machinery and vet their own. It might have failed in the first run, maybe even in the second. But, when a man or woman campaigns enough and proves their pedigree to the public. They could easily get elected, as they know this activist and this politician isn’t all talk, but actual game too…
Mao seems to have forgotten that and wants to do the quick fix. His fielding someone new. Someone who hasn’t the grand stand, his fielding an “independent” as his own and apparently deliberately so. He has picked a quick fix, gotten Kayanja’s blessing and a agreement to make it happen. Before they did launch it and now made it official. Still, it’s more a gain for Kayanja, than it is for DP. It just makes DP look weak and lack of internal candidates to back-up the needs of the party. Since, they had to pick someone from the outside again to be fielded.
It was first Jose and now Beatrice. Who knows how they fix others, but this is surely not from a place of strength, but of weakness. Peace.
MinBane 