Dombo
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Director of Communication, Emmanuel Lumala Dombo, has revealed that he denounced his marriage in order to secure victory in the Makerere University Guild elections in 1990.
In a post shared on X, Dombo narrated that he joined Makerere University in 1989 as a mature entrant, having already wedded in church in 1987 and started a family. By the time he contested for the guild presidency, he was 29 years old, married and a father of four children.
Dombo said his opponents in the race launched a smear campaign targeting his age and marital status, portraying him as too old and unsuitable, especially to female students. “When I was a candidate for the guild, the usual haters sniffed and discovered that I was a married mature,” he wrote. “They resorted to a hate campaign especially to the ladies, that I was a NPA (None Performing Asset)!”
In a bid to neutralise the attacks and improve his appeal among voters, Dombo decided to remove his wedding ring and publicly deny that he was married. He explained that the move was purely strategic, intended to counter the blackmail and level the playing field in what was then an intensely competitive student politics environment.
Dombo, who went on to serve as Guild President in the 1991/92 academic year, reflected nostalgically on the nature of campus politics at the time, noting that despite the heated contests, no student stabbed another because of guild elections. “Once upon a time, we only had one university in Uganda. It also had only one Guild President, and everything was analogue and very interesting. No student could stab another because of guild elections!” he recalled, describing it as a great privilege to have led the guild.
He added that he later informed his wife about the decision to denounce their marriage during the campaign, and the couple simply laughed it off, treating it as part of the political realities of the time.
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