Zahrah Luyirika, Speaker of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and member of NUP, has revealed the reasons behind her switch from Makindye West to contesting for the Kampala Woman MP seat.
She explained that although her roots are deeply tied to Makindye, her leadership experience in the KCCA made her reconsider the scope of her service.
One of the candidates vying for the Kampala woman MP position from the National Unity Platform (NUP), Zahrah Luyirika, has explained her choice to contest for this particular seat instead of Makindye West. It is important to note that her earlier campaign posters indicated her intention to run for Makindye West, but she later transitioned to Kampala for the woman MP role.
In an interview, Zahrah mentioned that her life has been closely tied to Makindye. She has grown up, studied, married, lived, and held leadership roles in that area. Because of this connection, she felt there was a need for improved leadership in that community.
Nevertheless, she considered transferring her capabilities during the KCCA speakership role and tackle various city challenges, which led her to reconsider her decision.
Consequently, she opted to pursue the more significant position to bring about meaningful change. Furthermore, the Electoral Commission had not yet released the electoral roadmap when she first showed interest in running for Makindye. Additionally, NUP had also not disclosed its roadmap for selecting flag bearers at that point. Zahrah also stated that when she showed her intention to contest for the Makindye West parliamentary seat, some individuals suggested it was selfish to focus on a specific area, limiting her ability to serve a larger community.
“When I expressed my interest in running for Makindye West, the Electoral Commission and my party NUP had not yet published the roadmap. Once they released it, I only picked up nomination forms for the Kampala woman MP position and none other. Initially, I wanted to represent Makindye because my life has revolved around that area, and I believed they required better representation,” she shared.
“However, I came to the realization that I could provide my services to a broader region and bring about positive change, which led to my decision to run for the higher office. Some people even suggested that it was selfish of me to abandon the speakership role, where I was serving a larger community, to focus solely on a smaller constituency,” she further remarked.
Zahrah Luyirika will need to beat competition within her party to secure a clearer path to Parliament. Her main rival is the current woman MP, Hon Shamim Malende, who is also part of NUP.
She reiterated that if she’s not given the party ticket, she won’t run for Parliament. However, there are indications from Kavule that party leaders strongly support Zahrah, which may facilitate her becoming the official flag bearer for the party led by Bobi Wine.
 and member of NUP, has revealed the reasons behind her switch from Makindye West to contesting for the Kampala Woman MP seat. ){kind=link}