The war for the National Resistance Movement ( NRM) to bring back Masaka City to their domination is increasingly looking far from done as an ugly war for supremacy threatens to further disintegrate the party that’s evidently in a dire need for cohesion.
Masaka, one of the major cities of Uganda convincingly fell into the grip of opposition outfit- National Unity Platform( NUP) which swept all the three parliamentary seats, the City Mayor and the two division mayors alongside the majority of the City and division councils. NUP President, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, alias Bobi Wine also defeated President Museveni in the New City.
Throughout the current political term, the NRM government has tirelessly worked to endear herself to the people of Masaka through prioritizing service delivery in the sub region, efforts that had initially looked to be starting to pay off.
For instance, the city boasts of the most beautiful road network as compared to other cities elevated at the same time. It is also the only city with two MAAIF markets- the central market and the Nyendo market. This had greatly improved agricultural marketability very much to the benefit of the ruling party.
As the party had started to focus on mobilizing for 2026, a fierce fight for power and influence has left the ruling side gravely exposed to a possible defeat as fights among the big guns leaves nearly no possibility of mass cohesion to rally support for their national chairman and the party.
A bitter fall out between President Museveni’s Advisor and the Town Clerk has spilled down to the technical and political leadership in the city, leaving a stench of irreconcilable faults within the party.
Justine Nameere, a Senior Presidential Advisor on Greater Masaka Affairs has publicly shredded the new Nyendo Mukungwe- division Town Clerk, Luboyera Majeran, leaving the Ssabasajja’s City at the blink of fire.
Majerani, who many rever for his tranformist hardliner methods of work, initiated drastic reforms in the city as soon as he was transfered to Masaka in late December last year. One of the issues he tackled first was the Trade Order which had become a song for every one due to the anarchic appearance of the streets caused by unregulated street vendors and hawkers. The changes led to confiscation of merchandise from vendors who refused to go willingly after a series of warnings. This was followed by a series of arrests and prosecutions for some suspects, something that rubbed Nameere the wrong way.
In one of her protest actions, the controversial Presidential Advisor is said to have stormed a City Security meeting chaired by the RCC,Hajji Ahammed Washaki and insulted all the powerful men and women in the meeting as a group of protesting Youths accompanying her cheered on.
Nameere and her group threatened to set the reformist Town Clerk on fire should he not give up on the trade reforms in a city she urgues is predominantly agricultural and thus hawkers and street vendors should be allowed to sell from wherever they want.
” We shall not allow anyone who is not a born of Masaka to come here and tell us what to do. This city is an agricultural City and for as long I am an Advisor for the president, no one will tell me what to do for my people unless they want to leave unceremoniously.” Nameere is heard roaring in a widely shared audio message in the different WhatsApp groups in Masaka.
Whereas Majeran has been hailed for drastically improving income generation in Masaka City, the future of the ruling party remain clouded as it’s senior leaders join opposition in clouding the achievements upon which the people would base to vote for them.
For instance, by his deployment in Nyendo Mukungwe- on December 11, 2024, the division had realized a paltry shillings 7Bn in taxes for the six months since July 1. In just under two months, he is said to have already realized close to a billion shilling in tax collection. This, he has been able to achieve through blockading avenues of corruption through which money had previously been syphoned. This has been spreading optimism for the city that had struggled with acute corruption and bribery, much to the disadvantage of the government and the general population.
Not until the party bosses at Kyadondo road move to swiftly arrest the situation, the situation doesn’t seem like it will be getting any smoother any sooner.
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