By Mulengera Reporters
Kampala woman MP Shamim Malende is politically dead man walking. The NUP party which sponsored her in 2021 is displeased with her lukewarm performance. She is rarely seen in committees and never talks in plenary sessions at parliament. Officially her inability to perform is being explained away on grounds that she has been ill and unwell much of her time as Kampala woman MP since 2021 when she replaced Nabillah Nagayi.
The party has two very formidable candidates who can be deployed to do better than Malende. These are Euginia Nassolo, a rich business lady based in Rubaga south and KCCA speaker Zahara Luyulika. Malende, convinced that Kamwokya no longer favors her, has resorted to putting up early campaign posters to indicate she is still around. As her posters are being put up, Malende is officially in Nairobi receiving treatment.
Nassolo, a darling at Mengo and in the catholic church, has what it takes to run a successful race come 2026. Having left DP, she is now a leader in the NUP women league and she is always putting money in party activities.
In 2021, she stood in Rubaga south on DP ticket but was friendly to Kyagulanyi even when Mao was a candidate for president. She is now available fully for NUP to deploy her and she is prepared for either Rubaga south or Kampala woman MP race. She has her money and NUP won’t have to struggle printing posters for her.
Luyulika has been speaker at KCCA and very loyal to Barbie the wife to Kyagulanyi. Unlike the deputy KCCA speaker Nasur Masaba who refused to give a job to Fred Nyanzi’s daughter in his chambers at KCCA city hall, Zahara has always responded each time the party wants her to fund something. She is always funding Kyagulanyi’s tours upcountry and is a close friend of Barbie. Zahara primarily wants to become the Makindye west MP replacing Allan Ssewanyana though will be open to replacing Malende.
The Makindye race is complicated and can split NUP into rival camps. It has Ssewanyana who is still NUP, businessman Faruk Ntege who is also NUP, David Musiri who is also NUP and Zahara herself. In 2021, Ssewanyana won with 18,000 votes and the NRM candidate Archilles Lubega was 3rd with about 5,000 votes. This time round there is a high risk NUP votes are going to be split even more which could favor NRM should the ruling party get the wisdom to front one candidate to face the multiple Kyagulanyi-leaning candidates.
Incumbent Makindye mayor Ali Nganda Mulyanyama also wants the MP seat and is planning to defy Kavule and run as an independent since he doesn’t have appetite for mayorship which he has held since 2016. Mulyanyama’s camp has even been lately engaged in propaganda against Zahara who they say is a nepotism promoter who has filled the speaker office with her relatives and cronies.
They cite her official driver Ronnie being her close person, PA Aksam Ssemakula being spouse to her young sister and the office admin who replaced Sauda Madada being her relative. The Mulyanyama group have also been in a jubilant mood over the whistle blower petition to the IGG which accused speaker Luyulika of using one of her persons to purchase three used vehicles from KCCA at just 8m! That there was no transparency or advert in the sale of these KCCA vehicles.
The whistleblower, whose report has excited the Mulyanyama camp, claims that the three vehicles were driven to a garage in Lusaka village Makindye I parish in Makindye division from where they were remodeled and repainted into better machines which are now Zahara’s. The whistleblower provided the IGG with videos and pictures of the vehicles in their current state and also at the time they were being refurbished at a garage in Makindye.
The whistleblower wants the IGG to investigate the speaker over abuse of office-related allegations just like it was done for ex-mayor Nasser Sebaggala Seya when he tried to dubiously buy the KCCA house along Mabua road at Nakasero near the state lodge. It’s claimed that the circumstances under which the KCCA vehicles were disposed of and sold off didn’t comply with the provisions of the PPDA Act which requires transparency and an open process that is inclusive of all people who are interested in such public property at a proper auction.
The whistle blower also asks the IGG to investigate the circumstances under which one of the speaker’s close persons was given the tender to grade the land that belongs to KCCA staff sacco. The Mulyanyama camp are convinced that Zahara is their biggest opponent and they are sure that this dirt can be used to damage her and prevent Bobi Wine from giving her the NUP ticket for Makindye west.
Zahara’s supporters are unbothered because they see Mulyanyama as an old man who has done his part and who should be considering retirement to go and look after his grandchildren and leave the struggle to the young people. They also believe he is too illiterate to be considered for the NUP MP ticket since he can’t speak English which is the official language to transact parliament business. He is very articulate but only in Luganda. There are fears that all this bickering inside the NUP camp could advantage Museveni’s NRM to win Makindye west for the first time.
But gratefully, there is a way out of all this quagmire should Kyagulanyi opt to act wisely. Musiri is still young and can be prevailed over to quit the race and become lord councilor at KCCA where he can be made speaker to replace Zahara Luyulika. Zahara can be taken away by being fronted for Kampala woman MP. This would leave moneybags Ntege having to sort himself out with Mulyanyama to agree who of them faces Allan Ssewanyana. The good thing Ntege and Mulyanyama are close friends and share hatred for Ssewanyana.
There is also ex-Kyagulanyi girlfriend Winfred Nakandi who wants Kampala woman MP seat but can easily be compromised to accept lord councillorship although those councilor slots are now fewer too after the EC reorganized electoral areas. Barbie can also be used to stand up and harass her out of NUP completely.
Nakandi has lately suffered attacks on social media by pro-Barbie foot soldiers who say she has been planted by speaker Anita Among to disorganize NUP from within and more so the couple at Magere. She has a foundation which promotes sanitary pads access among young girls and Among one time attended their public function as chief guest-these are the photos which pro-Barbie foot soldiers have been manipulating to portray Nakandi as a personal assistant of speaker Anita Among who many foot soldiers hate. Fred Lumbuye has also been unleashed to destroy the very beautiful Winfred Nakandi.
And as for Makindye east, Kyagulanyi faces hard choice between singer Moshi Ssendi and the incumbent Derrick Nyeko. There are others too who want the same seat including Tuff B Robert Ssekidde who recently quit NBS job to join politics. Tuff B will be easily disposable by Kyagulanyi to preserve the seat for Nyeko as Moshi can easily be convinced to go become Makindye division mayor replacing old man Mulyanyama. There is also Charles Luba who NUP can easily disregard and life goes on. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
