By Timothy Nsubuga

17^th January 2011

Dr. Besigye and Mulwanyamuli at a rally in Soroti

News and pictures coming from the vast Teso sub-region of Eastern Uganda appear to indicate that the Inter Party Cooperation [IPC’s] presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye has completely destroyed President Museveni’s dream of recapturing the Teso region from the opposition.

In the 2006 elections, Dr. Kizza Besigye, who had contested as FDC’s presidential candidate, defeated Museveni comprehensively in nearly all corners of the Teso sub-region.  As a matter of fact, the ruling NRM party, even with the benefit of incumbency, was nearly wiped out of Teso. At parliamentary level, not a single NRM Member of Parliament survived Besigye’s “political tsunami” in 2006.

NRM Vice Chairman for Eastern Region Capt. Mike Mukula lost his Soroti Municipality seat too.  It was therefore natural that the NRM would try to recapture the region from the opposition in 2011.  Even before the 2011 general election campaigns kicked off, President Museveni’s camp had set its sights firmly on Teso.  One after another, NRM strategists and activists vowed to “do whatever it takes” to recapture the sub-region.

Reports reaching Uganda Correspondent from the region have indeed showed that over the last few months, Museveni’s ruling NRM-O party has poured billions of shillings into development projects and other political activities in a desperate bid to sway voters to vote for NRM candidates come polling day on February 18^th 2011.

However, a picture, they say, speaks louder than words!  If we are to believe that old maxim, then the pictures coming from IPC presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye’s campaigns in the Teso sub-region will surely cause some serious concern in President Museveni’s NRM camp.

Red carpet treatment in Kumi

Wherever he has been in the Teso sub-region, Dr. Besigye has attracted an even bigger following than he did in 2006.  In Kumi District for example, Dr. Besigye got a taste of the kind of treatment that is traditionally reserved for the Head of State and visiting dignitaries.  His jubilant supporters swept his path clean before finally laying a red carpet for him to walk on.

The Kumi red carpet treatment aside, it appears the best had been reserved for Soroti Municipality on Saturday 15^th January.  There, Dr. Besigye, accompanied other members of his campaign team like former Buganda Katikkiro Joseph Mulyanyamuli Semmogere, addressed a mammoth crowd of tens of thousands at the Independence Grounds.

Commenting on the success of Dr. Besigye’s campaigns in the Teso sub-region, IPC’s Director of Communication & Publicity M/s Margaret Wokuri said, “…a huge turn up, a huge success in Soroti.  The FDC/IPC Part President continues to pull crowds in Teso region and sending more chills to the guys in yellow who thought they had made in-roads in the sub-region”.

By the time Uganda Correspondent went to press, all efforts to get a comment from NRM Spokesperson Ofwono Opondo had failed as his phone rang without answer.  A staunch and well known NRM who spoke to Uganda Correspondent on condition of anonymity because he is not allowed to speak for the party however said they are not worried.

“…My friend, we have not been sleeping.  We are not worried by Besigye’s crowds.  The people of Teso know that the NRM helped them defeat Kony.  We are now disarming the Karimojong who have been terrorising them.  We have the resources to dislodge Besigye from Teso, trust me”, he said.

Well, only time will tell.  The people of Teso will hopefully be the final judges.  Please log into www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.