Tracing The Political Identity Crisis Haunting Erias Lukwago
Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago’s political cradle can be traced to the Democratic Party (DP) though at his political formative stage he hobnobbed with the NRM till he was initiated into the UYD politics at Makerere University.
His initial involvement in the UYD politics was lukewarm partly because of the pressures of the course he was pursuing but also the failure to fit in the class of the people that were leading UYD at the time. UYD was basically led by a group of students who had come from elite schools with strong old boys’ associations (OBs) and a historical culture of pride like Buddo, Kibuli, Namilyango, Kisubi, Mengo etc, unlike Lukwago who had studied in Kivulu; at a makeshift central academy which is defunct. This was his first identity crisis in politics. Whereas the rest of UYD could easily associate with OBs, he always found himself lonely till he struck a close association with the Nkoba Zambogo and Makerere University Muslim Students’ Association (MUMSA). MUMSA encouraged Muslim students to be assertive in both university and national politics to fight the then perceived marginalization. It is this assertiveness that for the first time at Makerere saw a Muslim Guild President. This failure to bond with his generation of the UYD right from his political initiation has dogged his ability to find a stable political home in DP.
The matters have not been helped by the UYD group seeing him as an outsider yet too disruptive. He is known to be abrasive and dismissive, an act that delineates him as a bully. All the squabbles in mainstream DP have a foundation in the failure of Lukwago striking a balance between his personal insecurity and the greater good of unified DP. This is the reason he prefers to be a lone player or rather associate with FDC where he can be pampered for selfish ends of Besigye who tries to use him to split DP that would have posed a formidable alternative to his party if it were united. This inferiority complex morphed into a struggle to force other members to recognize him at whatever cost leading to a power struggle in the DP, with Lukwago posturing as the only viable leader and any challenger was to be fought even if it meant splitting DP.
This is how he became independent by forming a splinter group of Truth and Justice after the Mbale fiasco. The rise of Mao to the helm of DP leadership provided fodder for the tribalist-faction within DP, that saw him as an outsider, a foreigner in the DP unwritten doctrine of a Baganda party. This kind of thinking found solace in the genre of Betty Nambooze and ever since, both have been opposed to Mao leadership.
Lukwago had seen himself as the natural DP leader being a Muganda though he never considered the fact he is a Muslim which counterpoises whatever credentials he had.
The group that supported Mao looked at his leadership qualities visa vis that of Lukwago and also wanted to burst the much-held slant that DP was for Baganda. To them, the issue was not even if but rather even when Mao was an Acholi. Nambooze came out vehemently to oppose Mao and all attempts to reconcile with the mainstream DP have been futile. Though the tribal factor plays a lot in her stance to oppose Mao, her close association with the core UYD outfit has been reticent due to her paltry education. In the heat of the moment, some UYD members told her off when the arguments hit the crescendo. They have questioned her ability to grasp certain political metrics.
Lukwago, feeling out-boxed decided to seek sanctum in FDC while keeping a foothold in DP, however, what he fails to realise is that both Mao and himself are seen as foreigners in either party. Whereas Mao is not accepted in DP as an Acholi, Lukwago is not accepted as a true member of FDC but an opportunist who lost out in his real party, thus a crisis of identity.
By fraternizing with Besigye, Lukwago thought that it would give him a national appeal, since FDC, unlike DP, has a semblance of national character though in all elections it has failed to field candidates in all constituencies, at least it is better than DP which is seen as a regional outfit masquerading as a national party. All this was crafted in the vain hope that Besigye opts out of the 2021 ballot since Lukwago nurses presidential ambitions in the next elections, however, the way things stand, Besigye is not about to give way.
It would not surprise anyone if you saw Lukwago switch sides before 2021 in his insatiable quest for a presidential bid. This explains why he has been too intransigent to the DP re-unification. He knows he doesn’t stand a chance against Mao in DP in terms of brains, organization, character, oratory skills and national appeal if the tribal sentiments are discounted. Even the movers of the reunification drive, the likes of Mike Mabike, Abed Bwanika, Samuel Walter Lubega Mukaku, Lulume Bayiga see him as a traitor to the DP cause.
Even an internal election within DP to pick a presidential candidate will end in Lukwago losing, given that there was an attempt to field parallel candidates aligned to the Suubi faction which actuated bad blood. This leaves Lukwago in despondency without a political home.
The emergency of Bobi Wine’s people power has excited sections of the opposition, but the reaction of Lukwago remains suspect. He looks at any strong person or wave in central as a direct challenge to his presidential ambitions. The Bobi Wine upsurge brought together people who had been political nemeses for a long time like Bwanika and members of the mainstream DP, but Lukwago has remained carnal in his quest for a presidential bid. His demeanor clearly presents a contempt card for Bobi wine. With a mercurial people power wave, it only calls for an informed guess to ascertain his next political home, now that the FDC gamble may not pay off, Besigye is here to stay, will people power provide that home or he will play sole.
