The Inter Party Coalition, reeling from the recent departure of the Uganda People's Congress, over the weekend made a strong push for votes in the Busoga region.
Members of the Inter Party Coalition (IPC) from the Conservative Party, the Forum for Democratic Change, the Social Democratic Party and the Justice Forum held a massive public rally at the Mpumudde Division headquarters in Jinja. In the team was FDC president Kizza Besigye and Conservative Party leader, Ken Lukyamuzi.
The Inter Party Coalition is hoping to win key seats in Busoga, a region in with the National Resistance Movement has enjoyed majority support for the past decade. Despite the strength of the NRM in Busoga, opposition members hold positions of influence in district councils and parliament.
The most prominent opposition politician in the area, Jinja Mayor Mohammed Beswali Kezaala, was at the forefront of a committee to welcome the IPC to his region. Kezaala went against the position of his party, the Democratic Party, and said he was willing to work with the IPC to remove the dominance of the NRM in Busoga.
In his speech, Kezaala said the NRM had done little to improve life for the people of Busoga. He said unemployment was at an all-time high, the costs of living are on the rise and public funds meant to improve the lives of ordinary citizens are stolen with impunity.
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Hussein Kyanjo, the president of the Justice Forum, gave a rousing speech in condemnation of President Yoweri Museveni and the NRM. He said Jinja, once Uganda's industrial hub, collapsed because of the incompetent rule of the NRM.
Kyanjo said more than two decades of NRM rule were enough to prove that the party no longer offered solutions for the problems of the people of Busoga.
Makindye East MP, Michael Mabikke, told the crowds that a vote for the IPC was a vote to end corruption in Uganda. He said the opposition parties would bring a new era of accountability and proper use of public funds.
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The IPC rally closed with FDC leader, Kizza Besigye, calling for an end to NRM rule. He pledged that the grievances of the people of Busoga would be dealt with fully under a new a new national leadership headed by the IPC.
