By Aggrey Baba
Kampala Central Division Mayor Salim Uhuru Nsubuga has taken a swipe at the current Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) arrangement, arguing that elected leaders are being denied the powers and resources needed to deliver meaningful services to their voters.
Uhuru, who spoke during an exclusive podcast interview with Mulengera News on Wednesday, said the problem is not necessarily the individuals occupying key positions at KCCA but a system that has progressively weakened elected city leaders and left them without adequate financial and administrative muscle.
The mayor, who has worked within Kampala’s local government structures for years, said he witnessed the transition from the old Kampala City Council (KCC) to KCCA and believes residents were better served when elected leaders had greater influence over city affairs.
He contrasted the current situation with the period when Jennifer Musisi served as KCCA Executive Director, arguing that even then, the city had more resources and greater capacity to execute projects.
According to Uhuru, the current leadership of Sharifa Buzeki faces a serious resource problem despite Kampala residents continuing to pay taxes, property rent and other charges.
However, despite all the taxes the people of Kampala pay, Uhuru said service delivery is still very poor, because the leaders they elect are not allowed to perform their constitutional duties, stressing that limited resources should not completely paralyse service delivery. He had earlier said that Buzeki currently operates on a budget which is not even half of what Musisi used to have.
He said the Local Government Act gives elected leaders and councils responsibilities that must translate into tangible services for the people, but that the authority of mayors and councils has effectively been diluted by KCCA.
Uhuru insisted that mayors should not merely occupy offices while KCCA makes virtually all the decisions affecting the people of Kampala.
He said Kampala city needs a system where councils can pass resolutions and see them implemented instead of being reduced to ceremonial bodies.
The remarks are significant because Uhuru is not a newcomer to Kampala politics. He is businessman and proprietor of the long-established Uhuru Restaurant, he entered politics from the grassroots and has built his political career around Kampala Central, where he has remained one of the NRM’s most visible figures. The family restaurant, founded in 1962, has been part of his public identity for decades.
Uhuru was elected Kampala Central Division mayor in 2021, becoming the only NRM candidate to capture a mayoral seat in Kampala in that election. He defeated NUP’s Hamudan Kigozi Semugoma and then incumbent DP mayor Charles Musoke Sserunjogi.
His rise has since continued within the NRM, with the party listing him as its Vice Chairperson for Kampala and the Kampala Central NRM caucus identifying him among its leaders.
But despite his loyalty to President Museveni and the ruling party, Uhuru used the interview to make it clear that his criticism of KCCA is rooted in what he sees as the practical difficulties faced by elected city leaders like him.
He argued that Kampala cannot be transformed simply by appointing competent officials if the political leadership remains without the authority and resources to act. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
