VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKM #1573/01 2301154
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 181154Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY KAMPALA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7439

UNCLAS KAMPALA 001573 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF, AF/E, DRL, INR; PASS TO USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM EAID UG
SUBJECT: POSTCARD FROM MASAKA: MULTIPARTY OPPORTUNITIES AT 
THE LOCAL LEVEL 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  Internal party conflict between national 
and local 
NRM officials is an important trend in Uganda's new 
multiparty system.  On August 14, poloffs visited Masaka, 
a large rural district located southwest of Kampala notable 
for its diversity of political party representation at both 
the 
local and national level.  The Resident District Commissioner, 
a political appointee from the ruling party, says that 
majority 
and opposition party representatives are cooperating on 
priority 
issues facing the district.  This sentiment was generally 
echoed 
by members of parliament from the opposition Democratic 
Party, though 
conduct by parties during this year's national election 
remains a 
sore point.  The elected NRM District Chairman reported 
that the NRM is losing credibility and support in Masaka due 
an 
emphasis by national leadership on uniformity of party 
message, 
effectively limiting attention to the differing priorities of 
local constituencies. 
This tension within the ruling party has the potential to 
create 
new political space to be exploited by opposition parties if 
they are 
savvy enough to forge cross-party alliances to advance their 
development 
agenda.  End Summary. 
 
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POLITICAL DIVERSITY IN MASAKA DISTRICT 
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¶2. (SBU)  On August 14, poloffs visited Masaka, 
a large rural district located southwest of Kampala 
notable for its diversity of political party representation 
at both the local and national level.  Masaka is a historical 
stronghold of the opposition Democratic Party (DP), which 
enjoys 
significant grassroots support.  Under Uganda's recently 
implemented 
multiparty system of government, two of the nine MPs from 
the district are from the DP, while one of the independent MPs 
is closely aligned with the party.  The District Commissioner 
is also DP.  However, the majority of elected seats at 
the national level still belong to the long-ruling NRM. 
Under the colonialist system, Masaka, as part of the 
semi-autonomous Buganda kingdom, enjoyed economic 
privileges, including tax incentives, to support its highly 
productive agricultural economy.  These privileges are 
no longer provided for under Uganda's constitution and there 
is significant interest among the elite of the population 
in a return to this system of "federo".  Candidates for 
political office, regardless of their party affiliation, 
usually include a return to federo in their platform. 
 
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DIFFERENT PARTIES, SIMILAR AGENDA 
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¶3.  (SBU)  Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Bwambale 
Bamusede, a political appointee from the NRM 
party, reported that although coordination under the 
new system remains a work in progress, representatives 
from both majority and opposition parties are cooperating 
on priority issues facing the district.  The RDC 
serves as the President's representative to the 
district and as chairman of the District Security 
Committee, which overseas management of all security 
stakeholders and collects intelligence on various activities 
in the district.  Bamusede reported that while opposition 
parties often contend that the RDC cannot be impartial, 
the NRM prioritizes equal treatment by RDCs of all 
political parties.  He described the relationship 
between the NRM and the opposition in Masaka as lacking 
sharp divisions and generally harmonious.  He noted that 
his years as a civil servant give him added clout with his 
opposition peers. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  According to Bamusede, elections were 
generally peaceful and those with concerns have taken 
their cases to the judiciary.  He emphasized the need for 
greater civic education on multiparty politics in order to 
discourage the practice of voting along tribal and religious 
lines and to clarify the roles and responsibilities 
of elected officials.  He stated that fighting rural poverty 
 
and improving access to health care education and 
agriculturally-based economic opportunity are key issues for 
the people of Masaka and should be prioritized by donors. 
He dismissed the idea that there is a North-South divide 
in Uganda, saying that "marginalization is everywhere. 
We have peace talks on how to divide the national cake, 
when really there is nothing to share". 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  The RDC's views on political cooperation 
in Masaka were generally echoed by representatives 
from the opposition DP, though conduct by the NRM 
during this year's national elections and RDC 
oversight of security forces remain points 
of contention.  Bukoto South MP Mathias Nsubuga, 
DP District Chairman Ben Bukenya, and DP District 
Vice Chairman James Musoke expressed similar 
development goals for the district and noted 
that while they generally work well with the RDC, 
the NRM as a party needs to have greater respect for 
the opposition.  Interlocutors complained of corruption and 
intimidation during the election cycle and called for 
increased civic education by donors.  Nsubuga noted that 
the NRM performed well in Masaka in the election because as a 
brand name, NRM is still the only one that resonates in the 
rural areas. 
 
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RULING PARTY CONFORMITY WEAKENING LOCAL SUPPORT 
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¶6.  (SBU)  Internal party conflict between national 
and local NRM officials may be the bigger story 
in Uganda's new multiparty system, as indicated by 
District Chairman Vincent Ssempijja, the top elected 
district official (also known as the LC5) who also controls 
financial allocations for the constituency.  Ssempijja, 
who was elected on the NRM ticket with over 180,000 votes, 
candidly told poloffs that the NRM is losing credibility 
and support in Masaka due to an emphasis by the national 
party apparatus on conformity with NRM's messages. 
Under multipartyism, the NRM is enforcing a "whip" system 
to ensure the party line is adhered to by MPs.  The system 
categorizes issues facing the caucus in which a "three whip" 
issue allows for no dissension, a "two whip" issue 
allows for minor disparity, and a "one whip" issue allows 
independent voting.  This system limits attention and debate 
on the differing priorities of local constituencies. 
Ssempijja also called for more civic education, 
acknowledging that he was elected in Masaka on the 
old system of individual merit and party name recognition, 
as opposed to actual voter support for his party's platform. 
According to Ssempijja, Masaka constituents are unhappy and 
managing their expectations is "harder when you are 
in power" and not allowed to deviate from the party line. 
This is compounded, he said, when the NRM's national 
leadership 
makes decisions without the input of the District Commissioner 
and forwards agenda items in Parliament, which result in 
unfunded mandates for cash-strapped local districts. 
 
- - - - 
COMMENT 
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¶7.  (SBU) Party dynamics in Masaka represent a microcosm 
of multiparty politics and decentralization in 
Uganda.  Tension within the ruling party over national 
decision-making procedures could create new political space 
for the opposition at local levels if successfully exploited. 
The lack of sharp divisions between parties on critical issues 
such as federo and rural development, along with shared gripes 
with the ruling party's national structures, create an 
environment 
conducive for cooperation outside Kampala.  The DP, and other 
opposition parties, may increasingly serve as an outlet for 
other astute politicians seeking to get things done for their 
constituents.  Whether or not politicians at the national 
level will 
seize the same opportunities experienced as their local 
counterparts 
is still highly dependent on the immediate disincentives in 
the whip system. 
The NRM's national leadership will need to reconcile its 
internal divisions 
or risk losing support among its own local officials and 
their constituents. 
BROWNING