Capt Mukula Tipped to Retain NRM CEC Seat in Thursday Poll

Flight Captain Mike Mukula is tomorrow, Thursday tipped to retain his coveted seat as NRM Vice Chairperson for Eastern region. Mukula will be tussling it out with Indian born Sanjay Tanna for the top NRM CEC slot in the NRM National Delegates Conference on Thursday.

Preliminary reports show that Mukula, former Soroti Municipality MP and State minister for Health is destined for a landslide victory and is expected to beat Sanjay Tanna by over 70% of the total vote. Mukula who has concluded his countrywide campaigns, has been unanimously endorsed by majority of the national delegates including; Busoga, Sebei, Teso, Lango, Acholi and Western Uganda.

During his campaigns, NRM district delegates praised Mukula for his enormous personal contribution in building the NRM Party. Most delegates regarded him as a generous nationalist and Pan-Africanist who has selflessly served both the NRM Party and country. He is viewed as a loyal and prized mobiliser of the NRM Party. 

Mukula has been credited for uprooting and weakening the opposition parties in Eastern region. Mukula resigned from elective politics in 2015 and spent that entire period campaigning for NRM flag bearers and President Museveni in the 2016 elections. He won several hearts from the opposition who later defected to the NRM party.

Particularly in Teso sub region where he hails from, Mukula has been instrumental in ensuring that the then strongest opposition Party-Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) which had dominated the region, is weakened. In 2006, FDC party emerged as a very strong opposition party in Teso with a whopping 16 Members of Parliament. However, with concerted efforts of the likes of Mukula who was equally a strong force in the politics of Teso, FDC’s grip began dwindling in 2011 with the number of MPS reducing to 11 then finally in 2016, a huge nsumani swept the FDC where opposition party only recorded 3 MPs in the 10th Parliament, having knocked out even the likes of Patrick Amuriat (now FDC President), Alice Alaso, etc.

Even the 3 MPs; Herbert Ariko (Soroti Municipality), Angelline Osegge (Soroti District) and Elijah Okupa (Kasilo County) remaining in Teso have ditched the Party and will be contesting as Independent in the 2021 elections.

In terms of solving problems faced by Teso people, Mukula will forever be remembered for tabling the motion in the 6th Parliament that led to the disarmament of Karamojongs who were constantly killing and rustling cattle from the Iteso.

With the likes of Musa Ecweru (now state minister for Relief), Mukula also played a pivotal role in fostering security in Teso sub region where they mobilized gallant men and women from Teso to form Arrow Boys unit which gave a hand to UPDF to see Kong out of Teso and other regions like Lango and Acholi.