A cyber war has erupted between FDC Secretary General Nandala Mafabi and party diehard Hamida Nassimbwa who heads the party’s women league in Buganda region. In what exposes Nandala’s lack of sophistication and self-restraint, the two have had a bitter exchange via whatsapp whose leakage to the general public will most likely devastatingly embarrass the party and more so the person of Nandala Mafabi. Depending on how fast the party elders weigh in to reconcile the two, the scandal could erode all the reputation Mr. Nandala has built for decades.
In written exchanges, Nassimbwa challenges Nandala’s track record when it comes to being accountable and exemplary to those he leads. She also disputes his track record as PAC chairman in the 8th Parliament, a period during which public consensus was he did a very good job. In the leaked whatsapp exchange, Nassimbwa threatens to expose Nandala’s hitherto unknown acts for the period he headed the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
She also claims that Nandala didn’t act vigilantly and honestly enough in protecting Kizza Besigye’s electoral victory in 2016 when a faction of FDC claims that Dr. Besigye floored President Museveni. This actually was the basis of his mock swearing in ceremony as people’s president prompting the State to prefer treason charges against him. Nassimbwa claims that FDC election officials, working under Nandala, sold the results and betrayed KB, a claim Nandala vehemently denies in the same whatsapp chat.
She also says Nandala wasn’t a good steward with thousands election DR Forms from across the country which are supposed to contain the actual proof that Besigye won. “Results were sold? Now you are telling us what you did. Sironko we delivered all DR Forms. Which ones were sold? Sour grapes,” Nandala writes prompting Nassimbwa to fire back. “Hehehehe people are noticing how empty headed you are.
” This is a party member going after her Secretary General!! This Nandala vs. Nassimbwa whatsapp rant is proof of how badly some in the FDC top leadership echelons require lessons in anger management. Nandala argues that the secretive exchange with Nassimbwa, who claims the SG made moves on her well knowing she is a married woman, has been an opportunity for him to expose her to the world.
This is how he replies to her charge calling him empty-headed: “You are the one. Since you have posted this to other forums then I have to send all the Whatsapp to people [sic] to understand you. Why do a selection.” This Nandala utterance implies there is a lot more that Nassimbwa is withholding and not passing on to 3rd parties. After ignoring Nassimbwa’s rants for a while, Nandala in the same thread later on replies thus: “I’m not bothered by the way. At least for me I have ever helped. Go ahead and do whatever you want. You think I will go down with your thieving brothers [jailed Abdul Kitata and Huzair Kiwalabye are Nassimbwa’s siblings]?” You can see more in the angry whatsapp exchanges Nandala had with Nassimbwa thinking it was strictly between the two of them.
GENESIS TO THIS WAR:
Trouble between the two started in the aftermath of the last November FDC elective Delegates Conference at Namboole where Nandala-backed Patrick Amuriat (POA) defeated Gen Mugisha Muntu who Nassimbwa very actively supported. Ironically the two are former allies as Nassimbwa supported Nandala against Muntu in 2012 for both Party Presidency and later on the post of SG where he defeated fellow MPs Kassiano Wadri and Nabillah Nagayi. “I always thought he was an Angel but I now regret. I didn’t know I’m sorry but now I’m wiser. I know that man better. He is so evil I can’t wait for an opportunity to get rid of him at the next elections,” Nassimbwa has just told Mulengera news in a phone interview a short while ago. She adds that: “I brought him to that office and it’s my duty to get him out. I’m a fighter who never allows defeat.
I’m going to fight that man until he is no more in that office. I lose nothing in this fight. It has become too much and everybody is being victimized. It’s not only myself. I’m ready for a fight and this is a risk I have chosen to take so that the rest of the members can once again live in a good party.” She says as soon as he took office as SG, Nandala manifested traits of dictatorship and manipulation. “I took my budget as the leader of women league for my region for approval and instead of giving me the money I required to do mobilization for the party, he began saying many other things asking for personal favors and I said no sir. I can’t and in the end he didn’t give me the money but began to fight me,” says Nassimbwa promising a very serious sexist vulgar war against Nandala should he not stop hostilities against her. “I’m a Nalongo myself. You are used to just Dr. Stella Nyanzi naye munnange nze nange wendi nga owenene [you are used to Stella Nyanzi but mine is way much bigger than hers]. I’m going to teach that man a lesson he will never forget.”
Hamidah Nassimbwa (R) flanked by fellow opposition leaders including DP MP Sempala Kigozi Ssajjalyabene
THE GENESIS:
But how did all this spat begin? Days after Namboole, the Nandala-supervised FDC Secretariat came up with changes in NEC whereby legal advisor Nasser Mudiobole wrote a legal opinion advising many officials were sitting on NEC illegally because their membership there wasn’t provided for in the party Constitution. It turned out Nassimbwa was among those members ejected from NEC. She says this was because she used to raise accountability questions to the discomfort of Nandala who, as SG, is the accounting officer and signatory to all party accounts. She had for instance in previous NEC meetings questioned the continued spending of party funds paying for rent of TDA whose secretariat in Naguru is housed in a building associated to people close to Nandala. There is also a lady called Nasanga who serves as the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) at FDC headquarters. Nassimbwa says that when she proved too independent-minded and the SG failed to manipulate her, the party secretariat stopped paying Nassanga’s salary yet she is the biggest person at Najjanankumbi.
Well travelled Hamidah Nassimbwa greets Kenyan opposition leader Raila Omollo Odinga
In the subsequent NEC meetings, Hamida Nassimbwa brought up the matter and in the end NEC directed Nandala to ensure Nassanga’s salary arrears are instantly paid. There is also a one Pauline, currently pregnant, who deputizes Nassanga. In that same NEC meeting, Hamida Nassimbwa questioned why Nandala was working more with Pauline while sidelining the real CAO Nassanga. This and many other factors created bad blood between the SG and Hamida Nassimbwa. But things recently escalated following the dramatic arrest of Abdul Kitata and Huzair Kiwalabye, both of whom are Nassimbwa’s elder brothers. The trio is buried in Nakasajja in Mukono and grew up at their mother’s place near Magere Kasangati. FDC diehards known to be Nandala’s strong supporters used this fracas to belittle and taunt Nassimbwa on one of the Whatsapp groups (called FDC@HEART) that is administered by Ingrid Turinawe and Doreen Nyanjura both of whom are Nandala protégés. Even Nandala himself occasionally weighed in chest thumping and calling this triumph against Hamida Nassimbwa and her adherents in the party. Someone shared this info with Hamida Nassimbwa who is actually not a member on that whatsapp forum.
Nassimbwa has been a diehard FDC member for much of her adult life
GOING AFTER NANDALA:
Armed with leaks from Ingrid Turinawe’s whatsapp forum, Nassimbwa who was burning with a rage tried to reach Nandala. When he didn’t pick, she resorted to whatsapping via his inbox. The two are old friends and therefore have each others’ numbers. Nandala, who must now be regretting, immediately started replying not knowing Nassimbwa was setting a trap to finish him off. Whereas she is the sibling to the two Boda-Boda 2010 brothers (same mother, same father), Hamida Nassimbwa maintains she is FDC by choice and isn’t NRM like her brothers. She assures Nandala that these political differences notwithstanding, the duo remains her brothers and she can’t denounce them at their hour of need. For starters, this Hamida Nassimbwa (the belligerent FDC lady residing in Kyengera) is the woman who police clobbered and undressed during defiance activities in Mbarara, sparking widespread condemnation against Gen Kale Kayihura and the entire leadership of the Uganda Police Force. This was in May 2015. To comment on this and other Mulengera news stories, call/text us on 0703164755
Hamida Nassimbwa the day she was undressed by police during Besigye’s defiance rally in Mbarara
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