A section of voters have rejected the Kabale District Woman Member of Parliament Catherine Atwakiire Ndamira’s proposal to replace the late Ronald Hakiziman Bifafusha who was the Deputy Speaker Kabale Municipal Council with his wife.
Bifabusha who was also the LCIV Councilor representing Lower Bugongi Ward, and a renown NRM diehard in Kabale Municipality, breathed his last on 23rd. Jan. 2022, after suffering from illnesses related to Diabetes. Bifabusha who had battled the disease since 2018,died at Kamukira Health Centre IV, at age 33.
During his send off ceremony at St. Luke Bugongi Catholic Church last weekend, Hon. Ndamira proposed that the widow of the deceased, Deborah Owembabazi should be elected unopposed to the Kabale Municipal Council so that she could finish the race started by her late husband.
Ndamira added that the late Bifabusha would not be the first to be replaced by a relative . She gave an example of the late Rehema Watongola, former Kamuli Municipality MP who died in November 2020, and was replaced by her daughter Kayanga Baroda Watongola in the 2021 elections.
She gave another example of Kyotera District voters who replaced the late area Woman MP Robinah Nakasirye Ssentongo with her daughter Fortunate Rose Nantongo.
Ndamira asked voters in Lower Bugongi to reject anyone else who seeks their support in the by-election to replace the late Bifabusha and choose his widow as their next representative in the Kabale Municipal Council.
Ndamira’s proposal was in reaction to Kabale Municipality Mayor Emmanuel Sentaro Byamugisha’s comments on the speech by the late Bifabusha’s wife about her late husband. Mr. Sentaro noted that Ms Owembabazi deserved the political office for portraying confidence and boldness in her speech.
However, the proposal did not go down well with a section of people from lower Bugongi, and some have accused Ndamira and Sentaro of attempting to mislead the widow of the late politician.
Niyoweitu Wilber, the Kings Resurrection Church Pastor and resident of Lower Bigongi said the late Bifabusha’s wife deserved psycho-social and financial assistance rather than political sentiments since her husband was the family’s bread winner.
The Secretary for Publicity representative of Lower Bugongi in the Northern Division LC.3 Youth Council, Bizimungu Ronald said Ndamira and Sentaro were only trying to console the late Bifabusha’s wife, but they should have waited for the widow to declare interest in politics before they made such a sensitive proposal in public.
The Kirigime Ward Male Councilor Allan Turinawe said the he didn’ believe the late Bifabusha’s wife was ready to engage in politics. Turinawe noted that it was morally wrong for politicians to make such comments on the deceased Councilor’s wife on the day she was mourning her husband, yet she had not even shown interest.
However, Gloria Tushemereirwe, a resident of Bigombe Cell in Lower Bugongi supported the proposal to replace the late Bifabusha with his wife. Gloria argued that having stayed with Bifabusha since the deceased councilor joined politics in 2011, Ms Owembabazi could have inherited the leadership abilities of her late husband.
The late Ronald Hakizimana Bifabusha joined Kabale Municipal Council as the LC.4 Male Councilor Representing Lower Bugongi Ward on the NRM ticket in 2016. He was re-elected in 2021 and by the time of his death on 23rd Feb. 2022, he was the Deputy Speaker of Council, Kabale Municipality.
Kabale Municipality Councillors held a special meeting and paid last tributes to him before the body was taken to St. Luke Bugongi Catholic Church for the burial mass.
Bifabusha left behind a widow and two children (a boy and a girl).
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