Bulaya shuns Bunda contest

Bunda. Anxiety has gripped Bunda town since Sunday after outspoken Special Seats MP Esther Bulaya, who had earlier said she would seek CCM endorsement to vie for the Bunda Urban seat, announced in her facebook account that she has changed her mind and contest for Bunge via the Opposition.

Ms Bulaya was widely expected to challenge the reigning MP, Mr Stephen Wasira for Bunda Urban parliamentary seat but until the deadline, she did not turn up to pick the nomination forms.

Earlier, it was widely rumoured that Ms Bulaya would pick up forms and return them by Sunday in order to face off with the incumbent MP in intra-party nomination process but by close of the day’s business she was nowhere to be seen. The situation led to speculation among Bunda residents with some saying that she had changed her mind not to contest the seat with others suspecting that it was a sign of her defection to opposition.

The latter argument dominated the discussions, thanks to Ms Bulaya’s previous statement to the press that she would not vie for seat via CCM because some powerful forces within the party had hatched a plan to lock her out by all means.

According Ms Bulaya, who earned herself a name for organising football tournaments in the district since 2011, the party bigwigs seemed to favour the incumbent MP and another prominent cadre, Mr Robert Maboto.

“Powerful forces within CCM don’t want me; they want either Mr Wasira or Mr Maboto,” she was quoted as saying.

“It is maybe because they have resources that I don’t have. But if people love me, they will vote for me regardless of the party.”

Asked about Ms Bulaya’s sentiments, Mara regional CCM chairman Christopher Sanya, also known to be eyeing the Bunda Urban seat, said any allegations of unfairness or dirty game in a political contest can only be valid if raised after the process but not before.

“Our party receives and listen to complaints after the nomination process. It is funny that someone who did not even pick up the nomination forms is out there crying foul,” he said

Meanwhile, a number of aspirants have picked and retuned forms to seek nomination to vie for parliamentary seats in Bunda Urban and Bunda Rural.