Kampala — POLITICAL puzzles never seem to end in Ssembabule district.

The nullification of the election of woman MP Hanifa Kawooya, on November 10, is the latest in a series of scandals during the past six years.

Two camps of politicians are fighting over leadership. One group is said to be led by foreign affairs minister, Sam Kuteesa, allegations the minister denies. The group is said to include the deposed MP, Kawooya.

The other camp is said to have the LC5 chairman, Herman Ssentongo as its leader and includes Mawogolo MP Theodore Ssekikubo and Kawooya's challenger Joy Kabatsi.

Kawooya's election was annulled after a battle with Kabatsi in the courts over the woman MP elections since 2006. According to law, the Electoral Commission is supposed to organise fresh elections Ssembabule woman MP within 60 days.

Kabatsi says because of the wrangles, many of the projects in the district have been stalled.

NRM vs NRM

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) party has the greatest following in Ssembabule. President Yoweri Museveni got over 85% of the votes in 2006.

Yet, ironically, many of the wrangles are within the NRM.

During the 2006 elections, Museveni tried to resolve the conflict but ended up fronting both Dr Elly Muhumuza and Ssentongo as the NRM candidates for LC5. Ssentongo won the elections.

In the impending by-elections, President Museveni faces a tough challenge of which candidate to support since both are NRM. Whereas the NRM constitution stipulates that in any by-election, the incumbent is the automatic party choice, which is Kawooya in this case, the Kabatsi camp will also be eying the President's nod following the court rulling. The Kabatsi camp, which lost in the 2006 primaries, have hinted that primaries may be held.

"The process was flawed, right from the primaries," says Ssekikubo. However, NRM district party vice-chairman Hakim Mukiibi, says Kawooya won the primaries with a landslide and she is still the party's candidate.

To resolve this conflict, sources in NRM say the President will call both groups for round-table discussions.

In the heat of these divisions, however, the opposition may try to claim the seat. But on the ground, it is so weak to have any impact. So far, one person - Sarah Makula, 29, a presenter at Equator FM in Masaka, has showed interest in the seat. She intends to stand on the Democratic Party (DP) ticket. If Makula is to have any chance of winning, DP will have to work extra hard.

Chaos at the district

According to Ssentongo, the civil servants can no longer work independently following pressure from certain political circles. For example, the district spent a long time without a budget, since the chairman was stopped from reading it. Most of the key commissions like the district service commission do not exist because whenever nominations are made, one of the sides vetos the nominees.

The council is also divided. Of the 16 councillors, 10 claim to be in "Kuteesa's camp" and the others support the chairman. This has left the chairman without a full executive.

"Almost three years since elections, I do not have an executive because many of the councillors from the other camp refused to work with me. I was forced to retain my old executive," he says.

The anti-Ssentongo councillors include the district speaker, Ssebugwawo. According to him, the problem is caused by abusive politicians.

The fact that even the speaker opposes the LC5 chairman shows how delicate the leadership problem in Ssembabule is.

Both camps claim that none of them has a grudge against the other. "Ssekikubo and I have no problem working with Kuteesa, but he has problems working with us," Ssentongo says.

On the other side, Kuteesa also claimed in an earlier interview that he did not have time for Ssekikubo or Ssentongo.

"The problem is that whenever they get a problem, they blame it on me," he said.

The people of Ssembabule are only hoping that the wrangles end.