Despite forcing the Forum for Democratic Change big guns to enlist her as the second candidate for the East African Legislative Assembly, Monday’s snubbing of firebrand Ms Ingrid Turinawe by the opposition party’s NEC has caused a stir.
Top on the list is the animosity between Ingrid and Ms Byanyima, the executive director of Oxfam International and wife of former presidential candidate Dr Kizza Besigye that was exposed after Ms Turinawe, also FDC’s chief mobiliser, lost to Ibi Florence Ekwawu. Moments after the news filtered through social media, Ms Byanyima’s fans started mocking and celebrating Ms Turinawe’s trouncing, while castigating her for trying so hard to steal Dr. Besigye from his longtime wife.
“God has punished Ingrid for her evil ways. She has for wrong been trying to steal Winnie’s husband (Besigye). And if you (Ingrid) do not leave the married man alone, God will punish you further,” an FDC diehard Missy Nabagesera told TheUgandan.
Their feud first went public in 2015 when Ms Byanyima’s people bankrolled and helped Rukungiri Municipality MP Rolland Mugume Kaginda defeat Ms Turinawe in the FDC primaries.
Sources familiar to the duo’s rivalry now say that just hours before Monday’s EALA FDC party primary elections, there was a lengthy whatsapp message making rounds in FDC forums clearing showing that Ms Byanyima rooting for Kaberamiado’s Ibi Florence to defeat Ingrid and her proxy Doreen Nyanjura who have for long been clinging on Besigye and ‘eating the money i send to him to unseat the NRM.’
The message seen by this reporter clearly showed that the author was very annoyed and harbouring hate for Ms Turinawe, especially going by the tone and desire to see the Rukungiri politician defeated.
And there are other tricks … we are told Ms Byanyima also paid two of the nine initial candidates (names withheld) not to withdraw from the race and cause divisionism in the defiance brigade, a goal which the former Mbarara Municipality MP achieved. The two losing candidates who were bribed by Byanyima to destablise Ms Turinawe are also staunch members of the party and were also indoctrinated in the defiance brigade by Ingrid herself.
We have reached out to Ms Banyima … so far, no word back.
One thing we know, the relationship between Dr. Besigye and Ingrid Turinawe, a divorced school teacher and radical character has been very deep over the years, that she was his closest ally during the previous Presidential elections, traversing the whole of country with him in the same car, was responsible for the four-time losing State House aspirant’s food rations, what he was to dress, when to take his medicine and even had the last say on who does or doesn’t speak to Besigye. The proof is also in the media who were on many occasions clashing with Ingrid over her ‘ring-fencing’ Besigye’s press interviews to particular media stations deemed to be friendly to her while sidelining the others.
An insider goes on to claim that Ingrid was also solely in charge of the donations and cash gifts that Dr. Besigye was collecting from his supporters allover Uganda and her alone would count, budget for and decide what to spent the enormous bounty on.
READ: Dr Kizza Besigye accused of embezzling FDC party money
Ms Byanyima isn’t shy about critiquing Ingrid among her associates according to a source for all the above she did while the aeronautical engineer, politician, and diplomat was out of the country but would get dossiers and photographs.
Every time Byanyima arrives in Kampala, Ingrid who literary lives in Kasangati disappears from Besigye’s home until Winnie leaves again.
Authored by Mike Obua
