By Aggrey Baba
National Resistance Movement (NRM) CEC member Salim Uhuru has offered a rare assessment of former Kampala Central MP Muhammad Nsereko, describing him as a gifted politician and mobilizer despite their differences over political direction.
Speaking to Mulengera News’ Aggrey Baba during an exclusive podcast interview on Wednesday, Uhuru, who is the Kampala Central Division Mayor said his relationship with Nsereko goes beyond the current political rivalry and that he had worked closely with him during the early days of his political career.
Uhuru said he served as Nsereko’s vice
chairman for NRM in Kampala before eventually taking over the position when Nsereko moved on [was fired from the party].
He credited the former MP with exceptional mobilization skills, describing his political methodology as something he closely observed and learned from.
“He has been giving me notes on how to handle things,” Uhuru said, before describing Nsereko’s mobilization method as “exceptional” and “super”.
Uhuru, who was responding to Aggrey Baba’s question of whether he considered Nsereko to be NRM or opposition, also suggested that Nsereko’s political weakness has been impatience, further saying he still sees him as a real NRM cadre despite representing Kampala Central in Parliament for a couple of terms as an independent member of Parliament.
“Nsereko is indeed a good person, but he was not patient,” he said, without elaborating on the specific incidents behind his assessment.
The comments provide an interesting glimpse into the political journey of Uhuru himself, whose career has been built largely around grassroots mobilization in Kampala.
Unlike many politicians who emerged directly from established political families, Uhuru said his family had no political history and that he entered politics after being encouraged to contest as a mere councillor.
His background was largely in business, particularly the family-owned Uhuru Restaurant, which has operated in Kampala since 1962.
Uhuru later expanded his personal business interests before becoming increasingly involved in NRM mobilisation.
His political breakthrough came through grassroots politics in Kampala Central, eventually becoming the division’s NRM chairman and later winning the mayoral seat in 2021. He defeated opposition candidates at a time when NRM suffered heavy losses across the city.
His relationship with Nsereko is particularly interesting because Kampala Central has historically been one of the few parts of Kampala where the NRM has remained competitive.
The mayor said his own approach has been to keep his office open even to opposition supporters, arguing that leadership should not mean shutting out people because of their political affiliation.
He said some opposition supporters have approached him for assistance and guidance, particularly when they felt isolated or were facing difficulties.
It is this approach, Uhuru suggested, that has helped him maintain support beyond the NRM constituency, at a time when the opposition the opposition (mostly NUP) seems to be more grounded in Kampala. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
