Ono Bwino can exclusively report that the appointment of Faridah Nakabugo as the City deputy lord mayor has deepened the misunderstanding between Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) the National Unity Platform (NUP) principal and the newly elected Kampala City Mayor Ssalongo Ronald Balimwezo.
Highly placed NUP sources revealed to Ono Bwino that since the time Bobi Wine asked Balimwezo to contest for Lord Mayor seat instead of reclaiming his Nakawa East Member of Parliament seat, Bobi Wine has been receiving allegations being made against Balimwezo of threatening his political career.
After asking him to contest against troubled former Lord Mayor Ssalongo Erias Lukwago, it is alleged that Balimwezo told friends that he had been sacrificed by Bobi Wine to create an employment opportunity for his blue-eyed boy Alex Waiswa.
It is alleged that to cushion himself, Balimwezo set tough conditions to leave the constituency for Mufumbiro including a proposal that NUP had to give him a monthly salary of Shs25m NUP if he loses which Bobi Wine accepted.
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Balimwezo confidants revealed to Ono Bwino that Bobi Wine and other top NUP leaders were shocked when he won claiming that the party didn’t fully support his campaigns.
Sources divulged that this background shaped Balimwezo’s defiance on Bobi Wine directives concerning the city management.
Their misunderstanding was widely detected when Balimwezo was forming his executive and appointed his own deputy defying the one recommended by Bobi Wine and top NUP leaders.
“Nakabugo was not Bobi Wine and other party top leaders’ choice, they wanted Dr Shamim Nambasa, but they were shocked with Balimwezo’s defiance. Bobi Wine wanted to use Nambasa to fix the misunderstanding his party has with Erias Lukwago’s faction,” a source said.
In his explanation to Balimwezo, Bobi Wine insisted that appointing Nakabugo was going to widen opposition misunderstanding because of the fights she had with Lukwago the former Lord Mayor and president of the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF).
Doreen Nyanjura the former deputy lord mayor also reacted to Nakabugo’s appointment noting that she was also supporting Nambasa to succeed her. She promised to reveal Nakabugo’s dirty political dealings.
Sources said that Bobi Wine is preparing Nambasa to help NUP reclaim Kawempe South parliamentary seat from the National Resistance Movement (NRM) come 2031 so he wanted her to be Balimwezo’s deputy which would add onto her political career these five years.
Sources added that apart from being unhappy with the little support he received from his party when he was contesting against Lukwago, Balimwezo was also under pressure from Deep State agents who helped him to defeat Lukwago when he preferred Nakabugo as his deputy.
Sources upheld that Balimwezo put up a spirited fight on appointing Nakabugo who was stopped from contesting in Bukomansimbi as a district woman MP because of her experience in dealing with Kampala politics noting that being new at city hall, her experience is very instrumental.
Even though Balimwezo appointed Nambasa as his minister in charge of finance, Bobi Wine is not happy with his close relationship with Museveni henchmen and women who are praising him for being a good man who is going to help Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) on changing the Kampala city image.
Sources added that Balimwezo worked on Nakabugo’s advice to sideline James Mubiru in his executive even though Bobi Wine had recommended his appointment on grounds that he is like Francis Zaake Butebi in parliament, he always reports any deal made to the party leadership.
Balimwezo assured Ono Bwino that he came to Kampala city to perform not to play politics. He boasted of how in the few days he has been in office, he has attracted a number of foreign investors who plan to invest their money in Kampala hence creating jobs for youths in the city.
