By Cyprian Musoke and Sylvia Nankya
ABOUT 120 Members of Parliament were voted out in the just-concluded parliamentary elections.
Preliminary results from the parliamentary elections indicate that most of the losers, who include 18 ministers, are from the National Resistance Movement (NRM), the ruling party.
The affected MPs lost to stronger opponents at the February 18 polls or were knocked out in the party primaries.
In the 2006 parliamentary elections, 80 MPs, including 17 ministers, lost their seats. At least 18 ministers again lost in Friday’s polls.
They include third deputy Prime Minister and internal affairs minister Kirunda Kivejinja, Hope Mwesige (agriculture), Beatrice Wabudeya (presidency), Fred Mukisa (fisheries), Isaac Musumba (regional cooperation), Namirembe Bitamazire (education) and Jennipher Namuyangu (water).
Others are Gabriel Opio (higher education), Emmanuel Otaala (health), Serapio Rukundo (tourism), Urban Tibamanya ( urban development), Wambuzi Gagawala (trade) and Omara Atubo (lands).
Aggrey Awori (ICT), Aggrey Bagiire (agriculture), Nsaba Buturo (ethics), Rukiah Chekamondo (privatisation), Alintuma Nsambu (ICT) and Simon Ejua (transport) also lost in the just-concluded elections.
The NRM has about 90 members on the losers list although many of them had defied the party to contest as independents after losing in the party primaries.
The Forum for Democratic Change lost 10 MPs who went to the polls as incumbents, mainly from the northern and eastern regions.
They include leader of the opposition in Parliament Ogenga Latigo (Agago), Toolit Simon Okecha (Omoro), Julius Peter Emigu (Kaberamaido), Harry Kasigwa (Jinja Municipality West) and Michael Ocula Nyeko (Kilak).
Others were Ochieng Alex Penytoo, (Gulu municipality), Albert Oduman (Bukedea), Akbar Godi (Arua Municipality), Simon Oyet (Nwoya) and Charles Ekemu (Soroti Municipality).
The Conservative Party lost one MP, Susan Nampijja, who had switched from Rubaga South to Makindye East.
The party has, however, retained Rubaga South seat, which has been won by Nampijja’s father, John Ken Lukyamuzi, who has returned to Parliament five years after he was expelled for not declaring his wealth in 2005.
Lukyamuzi, however, won the court battle against the Inspector General of Government over the matter.
Seventeen of the losers were independents. Of these, seven are from the Uganda People’s Congress party.
A number of MPs opted to quit Parliament and vie for other elective posts. They included mayoral aspirants Erias Lukwago (Kampala Central) and Michael Mabikke (Makindye East).
Busongora South MP Christopher Kibazanga (FDC) is eyeing the district chair, while FDC leader for West Nile and Maracha MP Alex Onzima is seeking to lead Maracha district.
Rubaga North MP Beti Olive Kamya contested for the presidency on the Uganda Federal Alliance ticket, but lost.
The outgoing eighth Parliament has had 332 MPs, who included 215 directly-elected constituency representatives, 79 district woman representatives and 10 UPDF representatives. The youth, workers, and persons with disabilities have five representatives each, while 13 were ex-officio.
The number of district representatives has increased to 112 with the creation of new districts and more constituencies. The ninth Parliament is expected to have 378 MPs.
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