The two NRM primaries contestants for Mawogola North Parliamentary seat Godfrey Aine Kaguta Sodo and Shartis Musherure Kutesa for the first time have joined voices and fired back at critics who have blamed them for joining elective politics since they are members of the first family.
The two are the reasons why the National Resistance Movement primaries elections in some constituencies in Sembabule district were halted following the violence that was involved in.
According to observers, Sodo-Museveni’s brother and Musherure, a daughter to Foreign Affairs minister Sam Kahamba Kutesa, used their families influence to cause chaos in the election which prompted the cancellation of the elections amidst heavy deployment of both police and the army who were directly supervised by the deputy inspector general of police Maj. Gen. Sabiiti Muzeyi.
Following this violence which was caused by the two contestants, local people from within the NRM camps in Sembabule started asking what the two members want from elective politics yet they come from wealthy and powerful families in the country.
Adding on that, politicians from the opposition have also been castigating the heads of the two families (President Yoweri Museveni for Sodo and Kutesa for Musherure) for being too greedy by allowing their family members to occupy positions which would have been occupied by ordinary Ugandans who know the real problems affecting the people they ought to represent.
However, in interviews with journalists following the interventions with the party national chairman Gen Museveni in Sembabule, the two said that the constitution of Uganda gives rights to every individual as long as is a Ugandan to join elective politics.
“Belonging to Kutesa’s family does not derive me off my rights from contesting for a political post, and by the way my father is out of this, this is my right,” Musherure said.
In the same way, Dodo said: “Is there anything that hinders me from joining elective politics, President Museveni has his own issues and I also have mine, Ugandans should know that everyone has rights to join elective politics.”
In the same spirit, President Museveni also recently posted on his social media platform and told Ugandans to stop bringing up his name whenever any of his relatives choose to join elective politics or makes mistakes.
“On the issue of my relatives getting involved in politics, read Matthew 12: 46-50. Jesus says His brothers and mother were those who do the will of His Father in Heaven. My name should not come up when my biological relatives are contesting. For me, like Jesus, my relatives are all and any NRM member who does the right thing according to the party constitution.”
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