A new date has its place in the political history books of Uganda. February 11th 2011 saw the first ever live debate between candidates for a political office broadcast on television, radio and live-streamed on the internet. The hotly contested race for Mayor of Kampala was the subject for the evening, with all six candidates showing up at the Serena Hotel to debate in front of a large crowd.

Backstage the candidates were being held together and the jokes were flying. One candidate repeatedly called for make-up, teasing NRM flag-bearer Peter Sematimba’s well-known love for foundation powder. Incumbent Mayor Sebaggala was reduced to bag carrier for the night, called upon only to deliver a closing address to the hall after two hours in which his management of the city had been torn to shreds by all the candidates. For him, though, no remorse – only a gloating speech in which he made clear that ‘Seya’ himself was the last true Mayor of Kampala due to the gutting of responsibilities through the so-called Kampala Takeover Act.

As MC for the night ‘Dr Mitch’ called the candidates to stage and explained a set of debating rules so complex only he could understand. Anticipation rose in the audience. Sematimba’s introduction provoked laughter ‘Entrepreneur, preacher...dancer’, while a serious looking Erias Lukwago got the biggest cheer on entrance.

First up to give his pitch to the viewers was Captain Edward Francis Babu, a giant of a man resplendent in a kanzu and clearly playing the role of older statesman. ‘I may look like a God’ he told the audience at one point. There was no ‘but’.

Babu delivered an academic analysis of the city’s problems, addressing rural-urban migration, housing for the poor and promising fire and ambulance services across the city. He claimed Kampala contributed most of the country’s taxes but fared badly in terms of services. At times he appeared to be reading from the manifesto of federalist Presidential candidate Beti Kamya.

Lukwago followed describing Kampala as ‘one huge slum’ and blaming ‘thuggery’ for the reason why development plans for the city are never implemented. After a nervous start he found his stride on land issues – ‘Kampala is not for sale’ – and in promising to fight corruption from the Mayor’s office.

Outsider Emmanuel Tumusiime spent much of the evening looking bemused by the whole process, although to his credit he was the only candidate to address head-on the issue of potentially how powerless the new Mayor will be. ‘I will be CEO by the peoples’ mandate, not the Presidents’ he warned darkly. Quite how he planned to override an Act of Parliament remained unclear.

In case the audience had failed to notice, independent candidate Sandra Katebalirwe Ngabo started her speech reminding everyone of the men which had failed Kampala, and asked the voters to allow her to bring ‘motherly sensitivity’ to the office. She spoke with passion against party politicians using the Mayorship as a platform for grudges, not for effective management.

To shouts of ‘Obama’ the sharp-suited Sematimba  took the podium also eager to distance himself from the loud talking leaders of the past. The NRM rosette pinned to his chest complete with Museveni photo told a different story, as did his rowdy supporters who had to be restrained by police towards the debate’s end. Much of his pitch, delivered in a smooth American accent, focused on his achievements in running Rubaga Division.

Last to present was self-styled socialist firebrand Michael Mabikke, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, a man so overexcited by the occasion that we only heard one of his promised five-point plan for Kampala. He stressed his ‘impeccable academic credentials’ in a not-so-subtle dig at Lukwago and Sematimba’s ongoing spat over each other’s educational papers. Unfortunately for Mabikke it was hard to shake off the impression of a High School debater let loose on the big stage.

It was during the head to head sessions that the temperature inside the room climbed. The highlight was front-runners Lukwago and Sematimba facing off over the latter’s appearance in a government white paper about the missing Global Fund money to cater for people living with HIV/AIDS. Dramatically Lukwago produced the paper to wild cheers from his supporters; dismissively Sematimba snatched the document and accused his opponent of intentional illiteracy. They repeated a similar episode over academic qualifications. The elders in the audience muttered disapprovingly that the candidates had deviated from discussing ‘issues’ into wolokoso talk, but there was no doubt the clash had captivated most of the audience.

In contrast the other head to heads were polite, aside from Ngabo ferociously telling off Tumusiime, a man old enough to be her father, for not understanding the rules. Dr Mitch bounced around the stage trying to keep control but as soon as the TV cameras went off, the mood changed. Babu attacked the format of the debate, Lukwago walked out claiming a prior appointment, Sematimba’s supporters lost self-control.

As the crowds streamed out reaction was mixed. Some complained about the personal attacks and nature of the audience. Others welcomed the innovation and the additional information they were able to gather to inform their vote. Online people called for the Presidential candidates to go through a similar test. A debate for the capital city’s Mayor may just have set a precedent for greater political contests to come.

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