The NRM has been preaching to Church leaders to keep out of Uganda's nasty politics. But it seems this 'gospel' has not sunk in yet and the party's flag bearer finds himself tussling it out with a certain man of God, Pastor Abed Bwanika.

The 38-year-old Makerere University trained veterinary doctor has been the surprise candidate of the Presidential race.

But he is not fazed. "I have already indicated that I am a serious candidate. Over 40 parties and individuals picked nomination forms but we are now only six. I am not in the race to joke around because I have other things to do," he says.

Bwanika may be a rank outsider in this race but after a closer look, he seems to have been prepared for it. Information from the Electoral Commission suggests that he was one of the first people to submit the required signatures.

Behind him is an efficient born again Christian following. Not intent on jumping on to this assured support, the Secretary for Development in the National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostal Churches in Uganda, a body that brings together about 15,000 churches, says that that actually is not his power base.

"I am looking at the ordinary Ugandan, that is where I want to establish my base. My programmes have a bias for the ordinary citizen. If the Born Again Christians support me, it is because of what I have to offer, not because I am one of them," he says.

For a newcomer into the fray of national elections, Bwanika's programme, what he calls a Four-Way Approach is highly ambitious and out rightly unachievable, unless there is a dramatic turn around.

First, his vision is to make Uganda a "global food basket." Here, he has no kind words for Government for messing up the AGOA project. "President Museveni talks about looking or markets but there is nothing to sell. Are we benefiting from AGOA? Uganda is being used as a conduit by other countries to sell their produce, yet we are being told another story. We are not benefiting," he says.

He also talks about making the country a "global tourist centre." In a swipe at Democratic Party presidential candidate, Kampala Mayor John Ssebaana Kizito, he says, "no tourist will want to come to a place like Kampala which is full of pot holes and must be among the dirtiest cities."

His magical approach ends with a plan to make Uganda a regional shopping centre, and a pledge to ensure zero tolerance for corruption.

He says: "From my position as an independent, I can compete favourably," he says.

But supporters and critics agree that he cannot win - at least not now. The time for an independent to win is still light years away. And he is certainly no match for the frontrunners in terms of money, machinery and support.

What really is his catch? How does he gain? We don't know yet, but he himself is no fool. He knows what he is doing.

However, in a closely contested election like this promises to be, every vote counts and the front-runners will be watching closely to see how he fares as the campaigns hot up.

There is also the other advantage that the winner usually looks at the other programmes and picks up on what may be of interest. Museveni's strategists will probably look closer, for Bwanika says that he will focus his campaign in the rural areas, where the President claims he is unchallengeable.

"I will launch my campaign in Rakai. People are unbelievably poor in the rural areas, yet Museveni says those are his people. I doubt, otherwise they should not be living in absolute poverty. Museveni's people are a small group that have benefited from the economic growth and the resultant benefits, and are now telling him to keep around.

That is the message I want to carry to the rural areas," he says.

Bwanika says he could not form a party partly because political party activities have been kept in limbo for a long time, and there has not been enough time to mobilise effectively to form a formidable party. But I feel that people have not yet come to terms with political parties and the solution to our problems as a country is not necessarily political parties," he says.

For now, this preacher will need divine intervention. But first, he must fight for recognition.