Oxfam executive director Eng Winnie Byanyima has expressed interest in becoming Uganda’s first female President come 2021 if her party endorses her candidature.
Ms Byanyima’s expression comes at a time when her husband Dr Kizza Besigye’s multitudes of supporters throughout think that like Museveni, Besigye thinks he is the only capable individual in the party, the forum for Democratic Change [FDC].
She has consistently held higher approval ratings but after Besigye’s four unsuccessful attempts at president of the republic of Uganda – and Byanyima now wants to be the one to lead the Kasangati family to State House Entebbe.
“I know I can do it. Absolutely. There is no question about it. I know in mg mind that I can do it,” Byanyima, the former Mbarara Municipality Member of Parliament said.
She said if an opportunity arises, she will take it because politics is a game of teams before saying that explained that all it takes is people who believe in her asking her to stand.
“If one day a team arises and it shares my vision, I will definitely run.”
She made the remarks on sideline of the 21st anniversary of Forum for Women in Democracy {FOWODE] in Kampala on Saturday, alongside the famous Kenyan Politician Martha Karua who contested for the country’s Presidency in 2013.
Her presidential ambition takes the party back to September 2015. Back then, Besigye sprung a surprise on the party when he announced that he would contest against Muntu to be the party’s flag bearer in the 2016 elections.
Ms Byanyima , analysts say, brings to the opposition a calm, cautious and rational approach, which they say could help her make inroads into the NRM. Ironically, it is because of these very advantages that she has been shadowed by claims that he has never completely severed her relations with family affiliate President Museveni.
She believes her exposure at the international scene as Oxfam boss, a confederation of 19 organisations working in more than 90 countries besides her other regional organisations teaching her many skills to lead Uganda better than any other president.
But her husband, Besigye’s party, FDC has refused to comment about Ms. Byannyima’s interest and readiness to contest for Uganda’s presidency. The FDC Spokesperson, Mr Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda said they were not aware of her expression and it was against the constitution to do early politicking.
Trouble is that Besigye, who has been the doyen of Opposition politics but has failed in four attempts at the presidential elections (2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016), is very popular going by the crowds he pulls. He has been jailed, tortured, harassed so much for the cause of the Opposition against Museveni. Unfortunately, he does not seem to fit in with the wishes of those who will fund most of the activities of the TEAM BYANYIMA – the so-called donors.
For most of this year, Besigye has appeared cornered. He has been under virtual house arrest since the election ended and his party’s demands for his release have fallen on deaf ears. He even failed to file a petition in court to challenge the election results.
Faced with that stonewall, Besigye had warned that if those demands are not met, other measures will be taken and the party will exercise the mandate that was given to it by Ugandans.
His comments then left observers baffled. How was he do that when his hands appear tied? Members of his FDC party are equally unsure about Besigye’s moves.
One member of the party top organ, the National Executive Committee (NEC) said recently on condition of not being named, that all that can be gleaned from Besigye’s actions is that he is attempting to reinvent himself. “What Besigye is doing now is his usual antics to make him remain relevant,” the source said, “He will continue defying the police and being arrested to attract public sympathy to ride on in 2021.”
In 2015, Besigye did not let a more formidable candidate in Maj Gen Mugisha Muntu shoot at Uganda’s presidency as the FDC presidential flag bearer, it looks unlikely he will for his wife. Many were surprised partly because Besigye had retired from the party’s Presidency earlier in 2012 even before his term ended. At that time, he was seen to be retiring from politics after unsuccessfully standing against Museveni three times. Plus, Besigye had said after the 2011 elections, he would never participate in another election without the required electoral reforms and for as long as Museveni is still President.
The NEC member was on Muntu’s team during the party’s internal elections in 2015 and had been sure the 2016 election would be Besigye’s last term. According to this member, Besigye is not going anywhere and that will create problems in the party.
But, even though she feels ready to lead the country, Byanyima says she can not do anything with out consulting her husband: “I would never, never, never, never work against him and he would never work against me because we are on the same team.”
Besigye’s longtime friend and FDC Party stalwart Augustine Ruzindana says the political configuration is likely to change significantly generally and specifically within the party which will hold elections for its next President in 2017.
Ms Byanyima would be the most sophisticated and travelled President of Uganda. She is an aeronautical engineer, politician, and diplomat and has helped to broker and support women’s participation in political transitions in Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Africa, Burundi, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya and other countries emerging from conflict.
She has a BSc in Aeronautical Engineering from Manchester and returned to campus earlier this year to launch the University’s Global Development Institute, Europe’s largest research and teaching institute dedicated to international development.
