Rugunda Did Right to Refuse to Stand For President, Fr. Gaetano.

Naboth Isaac Niwagaba

apearlnews.com

The Parish Priest of Kitanga Parish Rev. Fr. Gaetano Batanyenda has said that Former Prime Minister Livingstone Ruhakana Rugunda made a right decision to decline calls to contest in the 2026 Presidential election.

Dr. Rugunda who is now the Spencial Envoy in office of the president recently dismissed rumours that he was planning to stand in the next presidential election following a social media campaign in which a section of NRM Activists from Greater Kabale demanded that he replaces the aging President Yoweri Museveni as the NRM flag bearer come 2026.

The Campaign Team made up of former Youth leaders and NRM senior cadres is Christened Kigezi Activists For Development – KAD .earlier this week stormed social media with a campaign slogan ” Rugunda For President 2026,” while on other occasions they would only post yellow shirts with Rugunda’s potrait.

However, on Thursady, through his official twitter handle, Rugunda stated that he had no plan or intentions to run for president in 2026, attracting mixed reactions from the public across the country.

Rev. Fr. Gaetano who is also the former Kabale Municipality Mayor and Speaker of Council Kabale District said Rugunda had made a wise decision to refuse standing for president because of it would ruin his profile. At 73 years, Fr. Gaetano said Rugunda would risk carrying the burden to clear all the “mess” left behind by President Museveni.

Fr. Gaetano also noted that it was too late for the NRM to start the debate of succession arguing that attempts to plan for the future leadership without Museveni were foiled when the regime supressed all voices that raised the issue for public discussion.

The Chairperson Central Division LC.3 Chairperson in Kabale Municipality Sam Arinaitwe said that advocates of succession plan were wasting time because NRM government was made up of top leaders organized in “Curtails” whose interests can only be protected when Museveni is still in power. Arinatwe said only Museveni could save the future of the NRM by deciding to leave power to give way for his successor.

After thre refusal of Rugunda, the Chairperson of Kigezi Activists For Development – KAD , Baranabas Tugumisirize said they were planning to push for discussions on the succession plan from NRM Top Cadres. He said they would also visit Gen. Elly Tumwine, Lt. Gen. Muhozi Kainerugaba, Gen. Salim Saleh, among others on the same issue. Mr. Tugumisirize argued that they wanted to avoid giving advantage to the opposition in case Museveni retires beforea his successor is identified.

However, the Uganda People’s Congress – UPC Kabale District Chairperson, Wilkens Arinaitwe said it was a “shame,” that apart from Kainerugaba, all the other names listed by Tugumisirize were trained and nurtured by the UPC. He said the Campaign for Rugunda to stand for president at his old age, was a sign that NRM had failed to prepare for life after Museveni for the 36 years they had been in power.+