In 2018, current National Unity Platform(NUP) Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, then under the People Power platform camped in Bugiri district for close to two months to drum support for Asuman Basalirwa to become MP for the newly created Buguri Municipality. Basalirwa had just competed in the 2016 general election for MP Bukooli North which had Bugiri Town Council before it was elevated to a Municipality and performed relatively dismal against National Resistance Movement’s Gaster Kyawa Mugoya who emerged eventual winner.
Faced with a stiff challenge from NRM’s John Francis Okecho and Eunice Namatende of the Forum for Democratic Change( FDC), Basalirwa was undeniably going to face an insurmountable task to win the seat.
The two months hard work for Bobi Wine, who was equally joined by other prominent politicians such as Abeid Bwanika, Erias Lukwago, Samuel Lubega Mukaku finally managed to sway the voters, pulling mammoth crowds at every rally to finally deliver urguably one of the most refined political minds Busoga has ever produced to Parliament.
Basalirwa, as President of the Justice Forum political outfit preferred a loose alliance with Bobi Wine under the People Power pressure group to which he reminded truly committed for at least two years.
When people power metamorphosed into NUP, Basalirwa, like many sophisticated politicians in the opposition opted to relate from a far. He maintained that JEEMA would maintain friendly relations with the Kamwokya based outfit in a party to party arrangement rather than him as an individual.
The suspicions have stayed a loud since then. While on a rally in Bugiri last week, Wine appealed to the voters to vote out Asuman in favor of the NUP candidate Egesa Macelino Mangeni. Bobi Wine accused Basalirwa of betrayal with allegations of working with the ” opressors.”
In an interview with BBC in November, 2023, while commenting on the passing of the Anti Homosexuality Bill, Wine said the bill was brought to target him as an individual, further alleging that the government could have used proxies to hide the ulterior motive. In a publicly shared statement, JEEMA party which Basalirwa heads accused Mr Kyagulanyi of blackmailing fellow opposition leaders. They demanded that he issues a public apology which he didn’t adhere to.
Residents of Bugiri appeared visibly shocked as the big men from Magere courted them to ditch one of the most eloquent and productive representative.
Without any doubt, Basalirwa has excelled with distinctions as a Member of Parliament. For seven successive years, the Lawmaker has emerged among the top ten debaters according the Ansard which ranks the performance of MPs. Besides his excellent score on the floor of Parliament, Basalirwa has equally been amazing in the constituency. He has for instance, supported Naluwerere painters with a painting machine, supported saloon and taxi operators, operators and contributed towards the Bugiri Market Saving groups.
Obama Boys, Naluwerere Cooperate club,Free Style, Kawa group, Immanuel Church of the deaf Lorry park, are among the other groups the MP has supported.
Whereas allegations of betrayal might have been bought by those away from Bugiri, residents of the Municipality will instead feel disappointed and sympathetic for their son.
Did Basalirwa Make the right choice to keep away from Kyagulanyi?
As the debate on what he did or did not do wrong in the short-lived marriage with the former pop star, the fate of Basalirwa’s equally established political brains that chose to follow all the way into NUP can vividly vindicate him. The former Makerere University Guild President lies in the league of his counterparts like Medard Lubega Ssegona of Busoro East, Abeid Bwanika of Kimanya Kabonera, Paul Kakande formerly of Democratic Party, Lubega Mukaaku, Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba of Nyendo Mukungwe. Whereas these all agreed to form NUP together, they have all been destroyed by either being sidelined in the card selection fracas or smeared with damaging propaganda. All this indicates that Basalirwa and Bobi Wine were always going to fall apart, it was just a matter of time.
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