 In 1996, the then little known Kibirige Mayanja took the country by surprise when he rose up to challenge President Yoweri Museveni for the country's presidency .True to his promise, he traversed the country in a three-man presidential bid, putting up a spirited campaign to the end of the race in which he obtained at least 2.5 percent of the valid votes cast, and finishing behind the leading two candidates, Yoweri K. Museveni and Ssemwogerere Paul Kawanga.A director of Planning and development at Makerere University at the time, Mayanja returned to his University job, and laid new strategies for recruiting supporters to his newly found Party, Justice Forum, famously called JEEMA by most Ugandans.