Land Grab Scandals Haunt Karangwa out of NRM Race

Moses Karangwa, the outgoing Kayunga NRM district chairperson, is one of the candidates that the ruling party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) has asked to quit the race over integrity concerns.

Karangwa is one of the candidates that were interested to join NRM’s topmost policy organ, CEC, as vice-chairperson for the central.
However, his candidature attracted several petitions linking him to land grab scandals in various parts of the country.

He was in the race with former minister, Hajji Abdul Nadduli, businessman Muhammad Kibedi Nsegumire, little known John Magaro and Tourism state minister Godfrey Kiwanda Ssuubi.

When the list was presented before CEC for vetting last Wednesday, Nadduli was asked by his colleagues at CEC to quit the race on account of his old age.

According to sources, the NRM top brass considered the threat posed by the generational political card being popularized by Kyadondo East MP and presidential aspirant, Robert Kyagulanyi.

“The party needs people who can counter Kyagulanyi, to do that, we need young and energetic people who will be able to run around to mobilise,” a source said.

For Karangwa, sources said, some members of CEC expressed discomfort in having him joining the organ because of his name always appearing in land grabbing allegations in several parts of the country.

For instance in February this year, his name was mentioned in connection to the killing of a 33-year-old man at Kanyogoga in Butoloogo sub-county, Mubende district.

The deceased, Vincent Karemera, was tortured to death by security guards attached to Karangwa’s security firm – Skariatic Group that he deployed in the area to evict people off the land.

NRM’s deputy secretary-general, Richard Todwong confirmed at the weekend that Karangwa is one of the candidates that the party leadership was engaging to quit the race.

“There are so many issues around his name. He is involved in many things, he is in leadership in Kayunga and Jinja, but there are also other issues like in Mubende and elsewhere,” Todwong said.

“We mind about the integrity of the party… There are yardsticks we use to vet people who want to be leaders in the party,” he added.

The NRM will hold the National Delegates Conference from August 19-20 at the district level in which new party leaders will be elected.