News reaching our desk indicates that Forum for Democratic Change-FDC General Secretary for Bugiri District Eunice Namatende has finally made up her mind to challenge for the District Woman Member of Parliament seat which she controversially lost to the incumbent Agnes Wejuli Taaka in 2016.
Namatende had earlier kept her cards closer to her chest on the matter of seeking the mandate for the seat she has been challenging for since 2006 as a teenager, prompting many to think she would watch next year’s contest from the sidelines.
In a telephone conversation on Monday , Kagoya Hadija – Namatende’s Personal Assistant confirmed to this website that her boss had indeed declared she will be contesting for the seat next year.
” It’s true she [Namatende] is going to stand. She has already passed through the FDC internal nomination exercise and all she is waiting for is the Electoral Commission to begin it’s nominations, ” Kagoya told Watchdog.
On what had taken Namatende long to declare her intention for the seat unlike other candidates who have been on ground wooing voters to their side already, Kagoya said her candidate had traversed the district for the last fifteen years and therefore this slight delay would have no impact on her bid.
This will be Namatende’s fifth attempt to joining the august house, having tried in 2006 aged just 19,2011,2016 and 2018 when she contested for the Bugiri Municipality MP seat only to be trounced by JEEMA’s Asuman Basalirwa.
Namatende who remains favorite to win the seat will need to harmonise her relationship with Bugiri Municipality MP Asuman Basalirwa if at all she is to brighten her chances of making it to Parliament at last.
She will be waiting to face off with Agnes Wejuli Taaka and Hadijja Babi who will have to first fight for the National Resistance Movement flag.
Others in the race include NUP’s Alima Hammed and Rebecca Namumbya who is an independent.
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