HOIMA – President Yoweri Museveni is expected in Hoima district today where is expected to campaign for Harriet Businge Mugenyi, the NRM flag bearer in the Hoima Woman MP by-election slated for Thursday, September 26.
Hoima Resident District commissioner Samuel Kisembo Araali said Mr Museveni, who is also the National NRM chairman, is expected to address rallies in Kigorobya County, Hoima Booma grounds and Mbarara in Kitoba sub-county.
He will be in Hoima district at the same time as the Kyadondo East MP and leader of the people power movement Robert Kyagulanyi will be holding parallel rallies in to drum up support for Asinansi Nyakato, the joint opposition candidate for the Hoima woman parliamentary seat.
The Hoima woman MP seat fell vacant after Ms. Tophace Kaahwa Byagira (NRM) chose to represent the people of the newly created Kikuube district that was carved out of Hoima in July 2018. In a rare show of solidarity, a combined force of the Opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Democratic Party(DP), Alliance for National Transformation and People Power pressure group have joined forces to rally behind an FDC candidate in the Hoima Woman MP by-election.
Tension is already rising in Hoima district as the ruling NRM party officials and leading opposition figures are campaigning for their respective candidates.
The last time the President and Kyagulanyi is popularly known as Bobi wine were in the same district in a by-election was in Arua district in a tense poll that was characterized by bloodshed and the arrest of several opposition leaders.
He said on Tuesday, the last campaign day for the Hoima bi-elections, the opposition have planned for their last rally in Kinuubi, a suburb of Hoima town yet the last NRM campaign rally, expected to be addressed by the President at Hoima Boma ground. The venues for the opposition rally and that of NRM are less than a kilometer apart.
The last time Bobi Wine and Mr Museveni were in the same constituency campaigning was in Arua last year where the campaigns later ended in violence.