BY: MARY NAKASI
NEWS EDITOR MEDIA
PRESIDENT Museveni has rewarded a section of Rubaga division National Unity Platform (NUP) councilors with UGX 30M each as a handshake for helping him disorganize their party activities in Rubaga and for voting ruling party councilor Musa Mbaziira as council Speaker, this news website can exclusively report!
Within a few weeks from now, President Museveni will also send them cows as a token of appreciation for job well done! Never say we didn’t tell you!
Our esteemed readers, it’s official, cash landed on the bank accounts of these councilors last month and those we have talked to confess, they got the NRM money and are very comfortable with it.
This comes amidst fights amongst Rubaga division NUP leaders pointing fingers at each other for being moles, working for the enemy to bring down National Unity Platform!
You will all remember that last year, Rubaga NUP councilors committed an unforgivable sin when they voted NRM councilor Musa Mbaziira the division Speaker yet NRM has only 11councilors in the council.
For starters, NUP dominates this council with over 60 councilors and there is no way NRM would win Speakership if it had not been traitors who betrayed their NUP party. Mbaziira shockingly defeated NUP’s Rehema Fugge to be declared Speaker Lubaga division.
In this story, we will mainly dwell on the handshake given to a group of NUP councilors for a job well done and who these shameless councilors are.
FLASHBACK
Around October 2017, a few days after Hon. Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyu had taken on the political scene in the country, NRM top strategists resolved to lobby councilors from Rubaga division and other four divisions making up Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to be taken to Kyankwanzi for what was referred to as patriotism and mindset change.
The lobbying started and majority of opposition councilors agreed because they were promised some cash. However, a few rejected the deal!
For example in Rubaga, councilors who rejected the deal included; Mulangira Asuman Ntale (Busega), Janet Namuli (Namirembe Bakuli), Godfrey Kamya (Namirembe Bakuli), Henry Mukalazi (Mutundwe) and Joyce Nabbosa Ssebuggwawo (then Mayor Rubaga division).
Others, over 40 Rubaga councilors who included now NUP councilors Musa Lusembo Ndeeba III), Richard Jjuuko Kayima (Nateete II) and Sharifah Nakitende (Women-Ndeeba) boarded NRM bus to Kyankwanzi on November 17th 2017. The retreat lasted for two weeks. Before this group left, all councilors were given 183,000/= as deposit.
For councilor Henry Mpiima formerly representing Lubya 2 who was then an FDC member before crossing to NUP, his issues are not clear! However he is among the beneficiaries of UGX 30 NRM cash. He insists, although he got the cash, he didn’t go to Kyankwanzi but a group which went to Kyankwanzi said he was with them.
On November 17, 2017, Lord mayor Erias Lukwago alongside KCCA and other division councilors who didn’t go to Kyankwanzi held a presser at City Hall to condemn opposition councilors who were in Kyankwanzi.
It’s on record, Henry Mpiima attended this presser and his voice was loud while castigating fellow councilors for betraying the struggle to go to Kyankwanzi.
Five days later, the same Mpiima was at Namboole during FDC delegates conference where Patrick Oboi Amuliat was elected FDC President. Mpiima was team Mugisha Muntu!
However, after the delegates conference, Mpiima was not seen again. Some think, he boarded a bus to join his colleagues in Kyankwanzi.
Mpiima denies ever stepping in Kyankwanzi and argues that he delegated ‘his brother’ a one Ssenkumba who at Kyankwanzi registered in the names of Mpiima.
On their return, councilor Musa Lusembo narrated to friends how facilitators at NALI Kyankwanzi taught them to hate religions, especially Islam that it has a direct connection with acts of terrorism.
He said, they were trained to involve themselves in farming and other development activities but not to look at councilorship as a job.
“We were sold the NRM ideology and told that had it not been the current regime, none of us would be a councilor. “ Lusembo narrated to friends about their Kyankwanzi retreat.
On the closing day of 30th November 2017, Lusembo and fellow councilors thought Mr. Museveni was coming to ‘Pass them out’ but alas! The president delegated then Kampala minister Beti Olive Namisango Kamya to close the retreat, which angered Lusembo and other councilors in Kyankwanzi! Why do you think they badly wanted Muzeeyi’s presence? Thank you, your guess is our guess.
Councilors in Kyankwanzi openly told Ms. Kamya they wanted the president so that he can sort out their financial woes and wet their beaks! In her response, she promised to lead them to the president on their return to Kampala.
MEETING MUSEVENI @ ENTEBBE STATE HOUSE
Two weeks later, Kyankwanzi councilors were taken to State House Entebbe to meet President Museveni.
This is where Muzeeyi pledged to send each of them UGX 50M but directed, each councilor be given UGX 2M cash as transport refund.
At State House, councilor Sharifah Nakitende commended the president for his superb leadership and requested him to reject an ammendment in the KCCA Act, that proposed that the academic qualification for a councilor should be S.6 or its equivalent. Sharifah was seconded by councilor Deo Kasana from Makindye. Museveni directed Kamya to scrap away that clause from the amendment.
DELAY OF HANDSHAKE
After like one year, Kyankwanzi councilors got angry over the delayed Museveni’s cash. Through then KCCA councilor Bruhan Byaruhanga and madam Alice Kaboyo, they were taken to President Museveni’s Kisozi farm to demand for their cash.
Muzeeyi only gave each of them 500,000 for transport refund and tray of unboiled eggs. This time Mzee didn’t talk about their 50M pledge.
A third attempt by these councilors to claim the Kyankwanzi cash was staged at State House Entebbe.This time round, they were man handled and dogs let loose on them.
However,during Mbaziira’s election as speaker Rubaga division last term, some little money was sent and given to these councilors and many now NUP councilors led by Lusembo, feasted on Mbaziira’s cash.
UGX 10M TOUCH @ COUNCILOR’S BANK ACCOUNTS
During 2020 party primary elections, each of the Kyankwanzi team members was given UGX 10M probably to help them in securing a party ticket because NRM wanted them back to council for mission accomplishment. Musa Mbaziira was assigned to coordinate these NUP councilors and make sure, they win during the 2021 elections. Unfortunately, only five returned. These are; Musa Lusembo, Richard Kayima, Sharifah Nakitende, Henry Mpiima and Muhammad Ssentamu (independent).
ADDITIONAL UGX 15M CASH SENT LAST MONTH
The day KCCA Speaker Zaharah Luyurika and other Authority councilors were released from Kigo prison last month, the Kyankwanzi team received each UGX 15M.
And the NUP councilors who got the money included; Musa Lusembo, Henry Mpiima, Sharifah Nakitende and Richard Jjuuko Kayima.
We have been reliably informed, NRM government is very happy about the role these councilors have played in disorganising NUP in Rubaga, keeping it in endless wars and confusing party headquarters.
We recently reported that, some of these councilors had positioned themselves for party mobilisation positions in Lubaga and also influenced a one Fatumah Nabatanzi to add names of their favourites to the mobilisation committee. Thank God, the NUP headquarters jumped out of the trap and cancelled the appointed mobilisation committee, otherwise, it was heading to a crash.
This is the group which played a fundamental role in the election of NRM’s Musa Mbaziira as Rubaga Speaker last year and the group is in bed with Rubaga mayor Zacky Mberaze together with his deputy Rehema Fugge! We are told the party headquarter is investigating these councilors. Let it start from here, it will thank us later!
Wait for part III of this story. For views/comments, send us an email at newseditor.info@gmail.com
