By Abel Kawere
Over 250 incumbent Members of Parliament (MPs) representing different constituencies in the outgoing 10th Parliament, will miss the 11th Parliament after losing their parliamentary seats to newcomers during the January 14 electio.
According to an analysis of the list of newly-elected MPs released by the Electoral Commission (EC), at least 322 MPs in the 11th Parliament are newcomers, after they defeated the old MPs, some of whom have been in Parliament since the Constituent Assembly (CA) in 1994.
Out of the over 400 incumbent MPs, only 171 have been confirmed to have retained their seats to represent their electorate in the 11th Parliament and are awaiting swearing-in, come May
The list, however, does not include MPs elected to represent the older persons, workers, persons with disabilities and youth. The Uganda People’s Defence Forces is also yet to elect its representatives to Parliament.
*Most of the 146 districts in Uganda have presented to the 11th Parliament new faces* .
*Some of the districts with entirely new entrants include* Mpigi, Luwero, Mubende, Kiruhura, Rwampara, Rukungiri, Kikuube, and Buyende.
*Others are* Mbale city, Mbale district, Bulambuli, Bududa, and Madi Okolo in West Nile. In very few districts, the voters retained their old MPs.
*Wakiso district* had most of the old MPs defeated and remained with only two incumbent MPs — Ssemujju Nganda (Kira Municipality) of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and Medard Ssegona (Busiro South) of the National Unity Platform (NUP).
*In Kampala area* , only two MPs, Mohammed Nsereko (Kampala Central) and Allan Ssewanyana (Makindye West), survived the political tsunami after newcomers, such as Aloysius Matovu (Rubaga South), majority of whom are political novices, were elected in the area, kicking out the incumbent MP, Kato Lubwama. In Rubaga North, Moses Kasibante was sent packing.
*In Kyotera* , there are three new MPs and one incumbent who survived being evicted from the August House. The state minister for finance, Haruna Kasolo, is one of the MPs who lost their seats in Kyotera.
*For Kalangala district* , there are two new MPs, with only one incumbent who survived the wrath of voters.
*Just like in Kampala, Kyotera and Kalangala district* , Mukono district also registered four new MPs and the lone survivor is Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze of the National Unity Platform (NUP).
In Masaka , the new city also registered four new faces and only retained one old MP, Mathias Mpuuga.
The January 14 parliamentary elections also saw majority of the youth representatives in the 10th Parliamentary, who were seeking re-election in different constituencies, defeated.
*Out of the five youth representatives* , only two made it to the 11th Parliament. These include Mwine Mpaka the youth representative western region, also MP-elect Mbarara city South, and Anne Adeke, the National female youth representative, who was elected Woman MP for Soroti district.
*Ministers*
The January 14 parliamentary election did not only affect backbench MPs, but even frontbench ministers.
*At least 20 ministers* , especially in the central region, lost their seats. These include Vice-President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi, who lost the Bukoto Central parliamentary seat in Masaka district to a newcomer, Democratic Party’s (DP) Eng. Richard Ssebamala. Amelia Kyambade (Mawokota North), the Minister of Trade, also lost to new entrant and local musician Hillary Kiyaga of NUP.
*Others include* information minister and MP Mityana district Judith Nabakooba, who lost to a newcomer and journalist Joyce Bagala of NUP.
Government Chief Whip Ruth Nankabirwa, the Kiboga district Woman MP, who has been in Parliament for over 20 years, is among the casualties, having lost her seat to NUP’s Christine Nakimwero, another newcomer, Ronald Kibuule, the state minister for water resources and MP Mukono North, was defeated by NUP’s Abdallah Kiwanuka, another newcomer in Parliament.
*Other ministers who were defeated include* Atim Beatrice Anywar (state minister for environment), Dr Elioda Tumwesigye (state minister for technology), Kibazanga Christopher (state minister for defence), Mwesigwa Rukutana (state minister for labour), and Isaac Musumba (state for housing).
*Some MPs and ministers have since conceded defeat* . These include Kyambadde, and Rosemary Sseninde, the state minister of education, and Wakiso district Woman MP, who lost her seat to NUP’s Ethel Naluyima.
*However, some MPs have expressed disappointment with the electorate voting them out in favour of newcomers* .
Speaking out for the first time after his loss, Ssekandi on Friday last week told his campaigners at his home in Bulegeya village, Kyanamukaka sub-county, Masaka district that he was disappointed that the people of Bukoto Central voted him out for a stranger.
“It was not a wise decision to entrust the constituency with people who do not hail from this area,” Ssekandi, who has represented Bukoto Central since Constituency Assembly, said.
He claimed that the DP candidate is not a registered voter of Bukoto Central.
Without mentioning whether he would challenge Ssebamala’s election as Bukoto central MP, Ssekandi said; “We just decided to ignore this and keep quiet, but we shall find a way of dealing with it”.
It is not clear what might have caused the loss of majority of the incumbent MPs, despite the fact that some of them, such as Dr. John C. Muyingo, the Bamunanika MP, also state minister of education in charge of higher education, is praised for having done a lot in terms of service delivery for his electorate.
It is clear the casualties were both from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and also from the opposition parties, especially FDC and DP.
All the three MPs who defected to the Alliance for National Transformation, Paul Mwiru, Kassiano Wadri, and Gerald Karuhanga suffered humiliating defeat.
*In the central region* , the DP, just like NRM, was a victim wave. It is unclear, though, why the incumbents in some of the districts in western Uganda also suffered a thorough beating, yet this remains an NRM stronghold.