The 5 men mission to unseat Kahonda

MITOOMA
Ruhinda South member of parliament, Rtd Capt. Dononzio Mugabe Kahonda faces an attempt to get ousted from his legislative seat in the 2026 elections.

His [Kahonda] poor performance in parliament, characterized by minimal contributions and inability to lobby for the constituency, has earned him criticism and a political label of “Kitagamba.”

At least five prominent figures in Ruhinda South are planning to stand against Kahonda in next year’s National Resistance Movement (NRM) party primary elections and in the 2026 general election.

The aspiring MPs are already holding a series of public and private grassroot consultative meetings and in Kampala to win backing for their challenge. They are also engaging in civic activities with local communities one way to canvas support for this plan, in addition to social media promotional campaigns.

Kahonda, who is serving his second term, has come under fire from constituents for his perceived failure to deliver as a legislator. His [Kahonda] poor performance in parliament, characterized by minimal contributions and inability to lobby for the constituency, has earned him criticism and a political label of “Kitagamba.”

It should be noted that Kahonda is ranked among the worst performing MPs in parliament since 2016, according to records in the parliamentary hansard. This has prompted across-section of the elite class in Mitooma some of them Kahonda’s close allies to turn against him in ambitious attempts to unseat him in the next election. His re-election for a third term hangs in balance.

Besides the poor performance in parliament, the MP is also faulted for putting personal ambitions above the interests of local people. This has also raised raised concerns within his camp, with some acknowledging that he needs to improve his performance to retain his seat.

Among the forces that have already declared to stand against Kahonda on the NRM ticket are Ambrose Byamugisha Muhoozi – Kahonda’s former chief campaigner in 2016 and his country home immediate neighbor, businessman, Asiimwe Herbert Banyanga – Accountant and son of veteran politician Alfred Banyanga, Arthur Kazoora – a renown rival to Kahonda and former MP candidate in the 2021 election, Capt. Ben Kamukama, UPDF officer at the same rank as the incumbent, and one female youthful MP, Brenda Atuhaire , a teacher in Kampala.

“Defeating Kahonda will not be easy, he had a massive majority at 2021 election and he is recently backed by his party and the Catholic Church to shine again”, said a resident in Kahonda’s camp.

Although this electorate believes that defeating Kahonda in the next election will be a hard nut to crack, he is also quick to admit that his rivals have been camping on the ground engaging in different community activities which the legislator has failed to do. The source revealed that the legislator’s camp is worried about his poor performance in parliament but they are optimistic about a positive change.

“People may be disappointed by the lack of attention he has given to the interests of the constituents and unfair representation in parliament brought about by his failure to speak during plenary especially in almost the last three sessions of the 11th parliament as well as addressing challenges which confront the them like poor roads, limited access to safe and clean water, healthcare services, but he still has room to improve,” source said.

Despite his previous electoral success and recent backing from the NRM party and the Catholic Church, Kahonda’s contenders are confident of unseating him. His challengers are now seeking to capitalize on his perceived weaknesses and win the support of Ruhinda South constituents ahead of the 2025/26 election.

Meanwhile, new faces from opposition political parties are poised to enter the fray, further intensifying the competition for the Ruhinda South county MP seat. The growing list of challengers declaring their intention to contest against Kahonda presents a formidable challenge to his re-election bid, signaling a potentially fierce battle for the coveted position.