Senior Media personality Mr. Johnson Musinguzi Byarabaha has confirmed that he will be contesting for the Member of Parliament for Sheema County South in 2026. He is already on the ground with his team and campaigning under the slogan dubbed #TeamGoogoro.
Who is Johnson Musinguzi?
He was born in Bubaare 1 village, then Kasaana parish of Kitagata sub-county.
With changes in administration units, his village was put under Rutooma Ward of the present day, Kitagata TC in Sheema District.
He is a son to Mzee Ephraim Byarabaha (RIP) who had two other homes in Kyeibanga and Kashekuro of the present day, Kitagata sub-county where he also lived.
He attended school at Kitagata Central PS, Muntuyera High School Kitunga, Masheruka SS, Makerere University (BA (Hons)) in Uganda and University of Leicester in the UK (MA,Media, Comms & PR) in 2012. He is a media professional and a development activist as a passion and married with six children.
His Development Brief
In 1999, he was one of the pioneer workers at Radio West (Gamba Mpurire) where he was a reporter and a presenter and brainchild behind the popular programmes called Wagahurire and Katuhurirane that still runs to date.
In 2001, he left Radio West and pioneered a new media company called Red Pepper that changed the media landscape in Uganda. It trained hundreds of journalists and sales people that have moved on to pioneer several media outlets in Uganda media space today. It was a revolution and it continues to nurture many journalists through the now trending digital media space.
Many entrepreneurs that hitherto feared the high costs of media advertising found The Red Pepper affordable and the company gave them a platform to blossom eg Movit, Premier Distilleries Ltd, etc and all these have gone on to employ thousands of Ugandans even those from Sheema South.
During this time especially between 2012 and 2024, he was selected as a consultant to undertake Media and Communication strategies for organizations like the Uganda National Environment Management Authority, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, NWSC, Oil and Gas Sector, Trade Mark East Africa, Higher Education Students’ Financing Board, Bank of Uganda among others.
All these gave him a wealthy of experience to approach many issues with adequate information and to know several key stakeholders that one needs to perform in top offices including being a Member of Parliament.
As a development activist with Sheema Development Association (SDA),a nonprofit association that brings together development loving people from Sheema district, he mobilized people to embrace development and also invest in their district. As a result, many have started small scale industries, many agricultural projects ranging from apiary, zero grazing for dairy products, coffee growing and other initiatives in many sectors. Under his leadership, SDA has also made strategic interventions in health and education sectors. In all, he steered the Association to make Sheema a better place to live in.
SDA Major Projects;
Capacity Building for Sheema district leaders, Kampala (2017)
Donations of mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets and other medical items to Kitagata Hospital (2016)
Capacity Building to Local Council Leaders held at Klinka, Kabwohe (2019)
Go back home policy(2017) to date
Food relief to vulnerable people(2018)
Donation of Theatre equipment to Kitagata Hospital and Kabwohe HC IV (2020)
Construction and handover of 3 stance bathroom/ toilet to Kigarama HC III
Community Mobilization on radios, fundraising E.T.C
Support Sheema Run (2021)
UGX 12bn proposal to upgrade Kitagata Hospital
Scholarships to several underprivileged students in Sheema
Upgrade of Kyeihara Ps
Network connection to parts of Bugongi and Rugarama.
TEAM GOOGORO MARSHALL PLAN FOR SHEEMA COUNTY SOUTH
The above term is the campaign slogan to take Sheema South forward.Being a majorly hilly place, eg Bigona, Irashagye, Kyeihara, Buraro, Muhito etc googoro is a sliding game used by mostly youth on slipperly grass (esp during dry season) or slipperly surfaces after rains. Once you sit on it,there is no turning back until your destination. So,all problems of Sheema South will be carried away googoro way for realtime solutions.
Youth Unemployment problem
He intends to hit this problem with a multi prolonged approach.This will range from skilling the youth, launch of 6 mega projects in each sub county/town council, robust connection of the already qualified youth to available opportunities locally, nationally and internationally. He has already set up a permanent office in the constituency that will work as a connecting hub for all youth for better opportunities.
Cash in the wallet
Together with his team, they have realised that most of the constituents lack cash to do business and other profitable errands. He has planned a fund for every village (LC 1) in Sheema South to solve this. This will supplement various government programs that are already running but poorly supervised by the current constituency leadership.
Infrastructure Development
Several infrastructure ranging from roads, schools, hospitals/health units, etc need upgrade/revamp. With our lobby power and new approach, he wants to address it with availability of funding.
Social Support and Protection of youthful population
With increasing urbanization and to earn cash to survive, several of our youth have been left exposed to vagaries of overdrinking ,drug abuse, early pregnancy and other ills. His program of jobs and cash in the wallet will partly solve this. Others will need rehabilitation. Others will need early mentoring while in schools etc and wants to have a program targeting the youth in schools, prayer places, sports etc to encourage them to live responsibly and have a hopeful future.This will be done by outsourced professionals from within and outside the country where such programs have yielded positive results. He says this will improve the production of the population for better results.
Agriculture Innovations
Through existing farmer groups, cooperators, he will lobby and bring in experts; Firstly to help improve the quality of what we are doing and to also do value addition.We shall build strong partnerships to propel the industry. Emphasis on growing more coffee,fruit trees etc will be supported with a good number of seedling per season.Value addition in coffee, fruits,dairy products,millets etc will be worked on.Animal farmers face a challenge of tick resistance and fake drugs.We shall not keep quiet on this.Same problem with various inputs in the crop sector.
Support to Social functions/Prayers Places
He will support the above and also use the occasion to sensitize the youth and community on values of hard work and current trends in education. He intends to start a radio station in Sheema district where all our voters will be allowed to air free announcement eg of lost animals, good, personal documents.
Security/Law and Order
Without this, nothing can be achieved. He will continue to encourage and ensure that those in charge play their roles eg police, judiciary and others.This will lead to harmony and ensure that people’s property and other assets are secure.
Extension of vital services like power, water and Internet
These are vital in the current World that has become a global community. He will use his office to lobby and have these services accessed by all communities in Sheema South.
Road Safety for Boda riders and passengers
He has a special plan to continue to enhance road safety among riders.
Extension of ICT services to schools
Through UCC, he will work with the team there to equip secondary and tertiary institutions with computer and internet services to keep students on track with global events.
Legislation
He will represent views of the people in parliament for the attention of relevant ministries to take note and action. And as per Article 79(1) of the constitution of the Republic of Uganda, “Parliament shall have powers to make laws on any matter for the peace,order, development and good governance of Uganda” We shall legislate well for the people of Sheema County South and Uganda at large.
Details of these points are in the full manifesto that will be launched on nomination day.
