This investigative website can exclusively report that before Nakawa East legislator Ronald Balimwezo accepted the deal to contest for Kampala Lord Mayor seat, he gave tough conditions which Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) the principal of the National Unity Platform (NUP) and other top party leaders had to accept before sealing the political deal.
Insiders in NUP revealed that after Bobi Wine realised that the only constituency that his blue-eyed boy and also his party deputy spokesperson Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro could comfortably win was Nakawa East, he had to take a decision personally of summoning the incumbent Balimwezo at his Magere home to have a chat over the matter.
According to sources, Bobi Wine also summoned top party leaders who included David Lewis Rubongoya the party’s Secretary General, Joel Ssenyonyi the Leader of Opposition in parliament and also the Nakawa west legislator, Ali Bekeni (Nubian Lee) the party’s head of entertainment and Mufumbiro to also attend the meeting.
“True, Balimwezo told the meeting that he was planning to contest for the Lord Mayor seat in 2031 because it was in his political plan. He told them he wanted to start as a councillor, then Nakawa Division mayor, then legislator, then mayor and then president. He was very scared of tussling with formidable Lukwago the incumbent but Bobi Wine assured him that the party will help him mobilise political and financial support,” a source said
More Read
Balimwezo was further scared by what he will do next if he loses the Lord Mayor race. However, Rubongoya told him that the party was going to get for him a slot in the mobilization department where he will pocket Shs25m and other allowances. This agreement sacred Habib Buwembo the current party chief of mobilization.
He was also assured that he is going to be unopposed on the Lord Mayor NUP card and his word will play a vital role in choosing KCCA councillors at City Hall and Division mayors. Balimwezo’s influence is the reason why Mbereza Mawula retained the NUP card for Lubaga Division mayor post.
He was also assured that his blue-eyed boy Geoffrey Luyombya who was contesting for the post of Nakawa Division mayor was going to be unopposed as the new KCCA Speaker if he wins as a councillor at KCCA after accepting the deal to pull out of the contest in favour of Nubian Lee
However, sources said that Balimwezo was shocked when the party refused to retain Regina Bakitte as the Nasana Municipality mayor even though he pleaded for her to be retained.
Bobi Wine explained to him that Bakitte had secret dealings with Mathias Mpuuga’s Democratic Front and accepted to politically move on.
Balimwezo knows the political task ahead of him given the fact that he is contesting against a strong incumbent Lukwago.
Lukwago is also scared of Balimwezo’s candidature especially after his former Personal Assistant Deo Mbabazi joined the NUP contestant’s team and has started dismantling his political grassroot structures.
