BY PEREZ RUMANZI
In 2016 President Museveni blessed and introduced Ms Peace Rugambwa to Rukungiri district leaders and residents as one of the champions of the treasured four acre model who would introduce a new single acre crop that would catapult development in the low income earners to a greater level.
“My daughter (Peace Rugambwa)here has convinced me that onions is one big crop that can make small land owners get money easily over a season, we need such good thinking people who can make peasants get into money economy. Where they have done it like Ntungamo, the projects I am told have been successful. I want to present her to you that you work with her and see how this can be done here.” Mr Museveni said during a rally at Nyakagyeme where he presented several items including a car to one of her “daughters”
At the rally he declared that he was no longer trusting the mainstream NRM structures to steer development in local communities because they had become liars and self-seekers and was opting to do it the “kihekyera way” (Guerilla) through trusted lowly citizens.
This gave emergence of many lowly “guys” whom he later passed through to deliver several items and handouts to different associations and individuals valued at over UShs 10Bn.
Shortly after the items were delivered, high court in Kabale nullified the Rukungiri woman MP elections with Ms Winnie Matsiko election overturned. The face-off had the opposition FDC win the election through Ms Betty Muzanira.
While the NRM vehemently campaigned to win the by-elections, the tokenism that had a few months been seen at the Rukungiri stadium became part of the campaign and the people decided to vote for the opposition. Ms Rugambwa was a big factor during the campaign headed by Gen Muhwezi as the district NRM party chairperson.
At the time, Gen Muhwezi was on Katebe and not an MP he is now. The time was for Gen Henry Tumukunde and indeed Ms Peace Rugambwa who stood firm and traversed sub counties selling the dream of Onions and other key messages.
Under her organization Boona Bageigahare Nyekundaire Group (Prosperity for all Volunteers Group), registered as an NGO to work in Western region, Ms Rugambwa registered members through the Rukungiri district like she had done prior in Ntungamo, Kisoro, Rubanda, Kabale and Rukiga districts with promises of aiding these members acquire high value seeds and seedlings, Agro-farm inputs, high value productive animals and household items for those wishing to improve their homes.
Each member paying Ushs 12000, the Boona Bagaigahare Nyekundaire attracted over 40000 members in the district. High end members who first received Onion seedlings including Gen Tumukunde reaped highly with some buying vehicles from the sell.
After the failed elections, Ms Rugambwa kept on the ground mobilizing for the 2021 elections and mobilizing farmers, and members of her group. People kept paying and coming in to be members.
At the point Gen Muhwezi was in hibernation counting on mobilization of lowly cadres to bounce back into the race for MP seat race.
The over 40000 members included members of the opposition FDC which was dominant in the district. The members in the organization had been manipulated with most thinking that they would get handouts from the president of from the organization itself. When time came for the elections, these kept in the background thinking their involvement in elections will make them not get anything. Because they never campaigned and waited for handouts and anyway, some supported the NRM in the background, some came out openly the FDC’s power they used in 2016 was lost.
Mr Mugarura Kaharata who was a strong FDC supporter and Ruhinda sub county Chairperson got engaged with Ms Rugambwa crossed over to NRM and her daughter is currently the woman MP. She defeated the FDC’s Muzanira. The lukewarm FDCs who were part of Ms Rugambwa were all defeated in the 2021 elections and that is how NRM came back to Rukungiri.
Embarrassed by the 2017 by-elections results, Museveni abandoned the Rukungiri chapter, had dropped Gen Tumukunde from Ministerial portfolio and Peace took full control. She used her own money to do the campaign, some of the money gotten from members hoping this would be given back when success is registered. The money gotten from other districts was also invested in Rukungiri. She gained the 2021 elections but lost every coin she had on her account, and gen Muhwezi gained everything as the NRM chairperson, took all the praise and peace took all the debts, look Gen Muhwezi became the Minister for security and Peace the official thief.
With money taken from residents and nothing delivered to them, she was condemned by the members who demanded the promises to be fulfilled. Like the good an necessary for sex Condom, she was dumped, the NRM way.
The darling of the President, Ms Rugambwa started hiding from residents who were demanding her to fulfill the promises yet she was highly indebted for she had used all she had to campaign for three years, made sky blowing promises and achieved the NRM agenda to defeat FDC, but look the NRM people he campaigned for blocked her.
She would become a boxing bag for the NRM leaders who branded her all names yet knowing what she really did. Museveni was a sky high to reach.
But Who is Peace?
Born and raised in Omukenyanya Rwentobo- Rwahi town council in Ntungamo district, she is a business woman married to Mr Rugambwa of Kakindo Parish Bugangari Sub County in Rukungiri district. With less or limited education to her name, she traded in many things, got near wealthy relatives and his hardworking husband to start supplying key government entities with grain. In 2008, she started a small organization at her birth home engaging women in production of onions. The women who would grew onions on a small piece of land and reap big earned some great money. Men joined them and they improved their homes.
Rwahi became a well-known place for Onions courtesy of her zeal to market the onions. Ms Rugambwa export the onion message to Kisoro which never had onions to become a great onion growing district. The message spread to Rukiga and parts of Kabale. In about 2015, she extended the message to Rukungiri where she is married and some people grasped it.
Her involvement in NRM politics has however collapsed much of her business though she feels fro a comeback.
The Komanyoko politics!
Last year, President Museveni invited Ms Rugambwa to present her case at state house Entebbe together with her supporters after several unsuccessful attempts that included a bus drive to Rwakitura. She mobilized a strong team of supporters and well-wishers ready to face the No.1 Citizen.
At the gate of statehouse, the Rugambwa supporters found the Gen Jim Muhwezi supporters from Rujumbura who also were informed through a back door. They wanted to turn the talk and tell Museveni how Gne Muhwezi aided the NRM win back Rukungiri. Indeed Gen Muhwezi doesn’t know even how he won his vote apart from the little cheating material.
What happened in statehouse is a discussion of another day. As Museveni likes, the discussion turned into a finger pointing and no one won. What would have turned into another come back fro peace and the beginning of a new campaign based on handouts was became a Peace vs Jim issue and in the end Museveni was the winner.
He ordered the two to come back (without discussing what brought each to statehouse) and settle their differences before the district leaders.
When they met, was there any resolution? Gen Muhwezi wrote down a statement presented it to leaders and claimed she had no time to spend in the meeting room as he had other engagements in the constituency. Some leaders were paraded to show excitement over the meeting and made good speeches, in the need they disagreed on what? 1200 being given back to members!
“The purpose of this meeting is to fulfill H.E president guidance when we met him at state house Entebbe on March 12th 2024, … His excellency guided/ directed that we should work together for the development of our district. I have conveyed this meeting of all district leaders to harmonize with Peace Rugambwa so that her development program going forward should be smooth and without any problem.” Gen Muhwezi wrote in a statement he said was reconciliatory.
However efforts to meet the President have since failed. Museveni understands the reconciliation was plastic. I am informed that at one point he asked Ms Rugambwa to try and see if it has since worked but the reaction from gen Muhwezi camp showed that he was not ready for reconciliation.
Through her efforts, with support from Gen Salim Saleh and a close associate in state house, Ms Rugambwa secured 1256 mattresses which he was to use to test the Gen Muhwezi situation and expose the feeling on ground. The mattress a close source from state house say they were directly donate by president Museveni who thinks Gen Muhwezi is a selfish leader.
The consignment of the mattresses was blocked from being distributed in Rukungiri district by security on orders of Gen Muhwezi. At least 100 mattresses were impounded during Christmas period. The only mattresses distributed were the ones given to Radio Boona during cerebrations to mark the Boona Cup finals at Rukungiri stadium. Several mattresses were distributed in Ntungamo and Rukiga districts. the mattresses were meant for the rural impoverished, especially the youth and elderly families.
President Museveni has kept silent while monitoring the situation as he approaches 2026 elections.
Indeed in Western Uganda, Ntungamo, Rukungiri and Mbarara determine the vote and the NRM must give it strong attention.
In our next edition, we present how Peace Rugambwa has managed to expose Gen Muhwezi before Museveni and the fight between the President Museveni and Ms Janet Museveni camps and how they are materializing in Rukungiri politics. We analyse why Gen Muhwezi has served his last political term as MP and Minister.
