KANUNGU SHAKEN: Justus Tibesigwa Win – A Blow To Legacy Families And DealMakers

KANUNGU, — In a stunning political upset that has left powerbrokers gasping and dynastic loyalties in tatters, Jutus Tibesigwa’s landslide victory for the NRM flagbearer position in Kanungu District is being hailed as a people’s revolt against entrenched political legacy, patronage networks, and old-guard manipulation.

For years, Kanungu has been a chessboard of political inheritance, with positions passed on like family heirlooms and deals brokered behind closed doors. But this July 24th, that script was torn to shreds.

Tibesigwa, a relatively fresh face with deep grassroots connections but no ties to the traditional elite circles, outpaced longtime political families and their handpicked candidates in a tightly contested primary that saw record turnout and fervent public mobilization.

With supporters chanting #TJ TJ in all villages from from end to end turned into scenes of jubilant celebration.

Tibesigwa’s campaign, rooted in transparency, local empowerment, and practical service delivery, shattered the narrative that only name-recognition and connections could win.

“This is not just my win,” Tibesigwa said in his victory speech amidst thunderous cheers. “It’s the victory of the banana farmer in Rugyeyo, the boda rider in Butogota, and the young graduate who had lost hope in our systems.”

A NEW POLITICAL ORDER

Political analysts are calling the win a seismic shift in Kinkizi politics. “Kanungu has been a bastion of recycled power linked to legacy families and Bishop’s anointed candidates ” said local political historian. “What Tibesigwa has done is explode the myth that voters are blindly loyal to political bloodlines and their backers”

The defeated candidates included individuals with connections to former Prime ministers and his family renowned for hand picking candidate and manipulating process to have them declared winners, same candidates were supported and sponsored by business moguls who have enjoyed uninterrupted access to government resources, Kinkizi diocese and bishop , wealthy lay canons among others.

THE RISE OF TJ MOVEMENT

What began as a small only close friend-focused initiative  branded TJ Hope  quickly transformed into a region-wide youth, women, men and community movement demanding a new political culture.

Thousands marched, posted online, and wore TJ T-shirts as a subtle but direct challenge to political entitlement and preached TJ message from cell to cell and sub county to sub county.

TJ campaigns have been run on humanitarian and friendly grounds. People used personal resources, donated to campaigns in cash and posters, fuel etc to help TJ reach all corners of Kanungu district.

Many credit the campaign’s success to its ability to bypass traditional patronage — avoiding money-fueled rallies and focusing on service-based engagement, medical camps, and mobilization through churches and boda-boda stages.

BACKLASH FROM OLD GUARD

Already, murmurs from the losing camps suggest a resistance to Tibesigwa’s rise, with unfounded claims but insiders say the backlash is born from fear: fear of losing grip on a district long considered a personal empire.

“Let them cry,” said a local youth leader in Nyakinoni. “For the first time, Kanungu voters didn’t vote for a name. They voted for a future.”

THE ROAD AHEAD

While the District chairman race looms in the general elections, Tibesigwa’s primary win is already reshaping how campaigns are conducted across Kigezi. The message is clear: political godfathers can no longer dictate outcomes from behind mahogany desks in Kololo, Buziga, Nsambya Kevina and Karubeizi .

Tibesigwa victory in the primaries marks the end of an era where political loyalty outweighed performance. As one boda-boda rider on Kanyantorogo stage  put it, “We have shown them that we are not cattle we can think, we can choose.”

The winds of change have arrived — and they blew through Kanungu first.