When serving as Kamuli LC5 Chairperson, Salaam Musumba faced a big dilemma having to choose between childhood buddy Justine Kasule Lumumba and powerful Speaker Rebecca Kadaga (aka Maama Busoga). Despite both belonging to NRM, the two ladies (SG & Speaker) have always treated each other with suspicion in the politics of Busoga that is never devoid of intrigue and mistrust. When Lumumba became NRM SG immediately after Mbabazi, her supporters mostly those previously in the KK Kivejinja camp believed they had finally got somebody with enough swag and pomp to overshadow Kadaga. They became even more excited when Lumumba appeared to have a big convoy complete with her own official vehicle as SG and two police patrols one as lead car and the other escort car.
She was also falsely assumed to have a lot of money facilitation from Mzee. It was even more exciting that she was to sit in cabinet as SG since it’s the same NRM party running government. This pomp was, however, short lived as reality set in rather fast and it was clear Kadaga was way above because CEC where she sits is where Lumumba derives her instructions from. Being number 3 in the country after President and VP, Kadaga also turned out to have access to a larger purse and to more powerful contacts in government than Lumumba. But as the two political elephants engaged in proxy wars, Salaam Musumba who had started well relating closely with Kadaga, increasingly found herself in a precarious situation. Whereas Lumumba was an old childhood friend working hard to ensure Museveni doesn’t fight the new Kamuli LC5 chair from the FDC party, Salaam Musumba equally needed Kadaga. She is the undisputed kingmaker for Kamuli district and her campaign had benefited from her patronage because Thormas Kategere, the man she defeated is a Kadaga archrival.
She worked with both for sometime but at some point got misunderstood by pro-Kadaga councilors who even tried to impeach her. It’s understood that in ganging up against Salaam Musumba, some of the councilors were motivated by concerns that she was a Lumumba mole working to undermine Rebecca Kadaga. This animosity was the context in which Lumumba-backed Salaam Musumba even considered challenging Kadaga for the Kamuli Woman MP Seat in February 2016. Said to have for long been undecided between retaining the district chair and going for woman MP Seat, Musumba eventually went for Kamuli Municipality MP Seat where she antagonized Proscovia Naikoba who had already scooped the FDC flag for the race.
Musumba, who has since twice lost to Rehema Watongola, has since gone through a lot but Lumumba has materially and emotionally always been there for her even when they are currently backing two rival candidates in the Jinja East by-election: Musumba backing Paul Mwiru and Lumumba for Nathan Igeme Nabeta. “Even when they fight politically, those two Namagunga old girls always find a meeting point and spontaneously re-unite,” said a source that has known Justine and Salaam for so long. Indeed on Saturday, when Lumumba desired to go to Little Sisters of St. Francis Nkokonjeru for the burial of fallen Mother General Anne Nisimiyu Wasike, Salaam Musumba was at hand to travel with her. They were joined by NRM Communications Officer Rogers Mulindwa who told this news website that Lumumba has a lot of emotional attachment to this Catholic institution because that is where she was mentored as a pupil along with her late sister Florence Nakito.
In fact so devoted and deeply rooted in the Catholic Church are the Lumumbas that Nakito was buried there. As shown in our pictures, Salaam Musumba was very enthusiastic and was emotionally restful as she enjoyed Lumumba’s company during the funeral ceremony.
