Bukenya: Boda rider vying for Makindye East MP seat

Khomas Bukenya, contestant for the Makindye East MP seat on his bodaboda. Photo by Stephen Otage 

The aspiring politician of interest in the debate is Bukenya himself. He is among the 10 candidates vying for the Makindye East Member of Parliament (MP) seat.

One of the men throws a joke at Bukenya that he should not be hanging out with them since he is not of their level.

“Tosaana kubeera naffe. Kati oli mu classi ndala (You do not deserve to be here with us since you are in another class,” the man says.

Bukenya, who is smartly dressed in a blue stripped long sleeved shirt, dark grey trousers and a neatly polished pair of black shoes, laughs at the remark in response.

Nominated
The 29-year-old, who makes a living from the bodaboda business by transporting clients, is one of the candidates who was nominated to stand for the Makindye East constituency on December 3.

He declared interest because of two major reasons. “It has always been my dream from a tender age to join Parliament and I thought this year was the opportune time. But also, I wanted to show my fellow boda boda colleagues that these positions are not limited to a few. Anyone can stand for them, including us,” he says.

This is not the first time Bukenya is standing for any leadership position. While studying at Ndejje High School, he stood for the position of assistant head prefect and won.

He held the position from Senior Three to Four. Then recently, he was elected as the representative of the bodaboda riders operating at the Nalongo stage.

“As their leader, I do several things, including ensuring that our work place is in order. For instance, if any disputes arise, I help resolve them.

But most importantly, I head a savings scheme and the money we normally collect is used for improving our welfare. For instance, if any individual encounters a big problem such as a motor accident, we draw money from the system to help the person sort out their problem,” he says.

Work and campaigns
Bukenya operates his bodaboda business during morning hours and then holds his campaigns in the afternoon.

“So far, things are moving on smoothly. I have not encountered any major hitches except one time when a mob poured at a rally I was addressing at Soweto, a zone in Namuwongo, and started beating my supporters,” he says, adding “Till now, I have not known who was behind the cruel act.”

Other than that, Bukenya mentions that he is not scared of any one, including the other candidates vying for the same seat. He says he will continue pushing on until the end.
Unlike before when he was just an ordinary man, Bukenya says standing for the position has not only increased his popularity, but also boosted business as many clients now seek his services.
“They come to my stage asking for the bodaboda man standing to become an MP to take them to their respective destinations,” he says.

Strategy
For the past few weeks, he has been visiting different parishes in Makindye, interacting with mostly youth and women and trying to urge them to vote him in the February 18, 2016, election. But also, his colleagues have been very instrumental in showing their support.

In fact, Juma Ssali, one of the men I found operating at the stage, had one of Bukenya’s campaign posters on his motorcycle.
“He is one of our own and therefore we are doing everything in our means to see that he wins.