The newly elected Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Lord Mayor Ssalongo Ronald Balimwezo is still consulting stakeholders including his party the National Unity Platform (NUP) top leadership on who to appoint as his depute when he officially enters office in May 2026.
Both Kampala ministers Hajat Minsa Kabanda and Joseph Kabuye Kyofatogabye have already shown readiness to work with Balimwezo on running the country’s capital city after he was invited in the special meeting with them together with the Executive Director Hajat Sharif Buzeki to discuss the coming city budget.
Balimwezo also announced that he will work with all the stakeholders in the city including meeting President Museveni. To execute his plans very well, he was advised to get cooperative deputy who can be his number one supporter and fill in any gaps during is absence.
Sources said that he has been receiving recommendations on who to appoint as his deputy and among them is the Lubaga Division woman councilor Faridah Nakabugo who put up a spirited fight by making sure that Ssalongo Erias Lukwago is defeated even though they are from the some clan.
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Being a senior councillor at city hall after she was first voted in 2016 and very well vast with Kampala politics, a number of people are recommending her to take the said position and enjoy the benefits which come with it.
Among the benefits include an official car, a domestic worker at home, security, monthly salary of more than Shs15m, medical allowance and other benefits.
Even though Nakabugo campaigned for Balimwezo in all the five divisions that make up Kampala city telling voters that Lukwago is a selfish leader who does not want to cooperate with fellow leaders but only believes in fights.
Her people claim it is her time to be appreciated with a big office but she has a big problem of not being fluent in English the used during council debates.
“The outgoing deputy mayor Doreen Nyanjura managed that office very well and it was very difficult to miss Lukwago when she was leading the executive team of the Lord Mayor’s office. She has been conversant with the English language unlike Nakabugo who even in previous councils has been debating in Luganda, a factor that may cost her,” one of the councilors said.
He wondered how Nakabugo will transact business when assigned by Balimwezo to represent him on international forums because he might not be like Lukwago who has not been giving his deputy assignments to represent the country on international forums which bring together all international leaders where English and other international languages are used.
Even though Oliver Namazzi, James Mubiru and Mosh Ssendi are all in the race for the position of the said office, Nakabugo has the backing of NUP’s Secretary General who convinced the party top leadership to shift her from Bukomansimbi where she wanted to contest as a district woman Member of Parliament and brought back to KCCA to help in managing Balimwezo’s campaigns and also guide party councilors on how to transact business because she has the experience.
It should be noted that Nakabugo and Sendi were accused of being at the centre of the deal where city businessman Hamis Kiggundu was given permission to build on top of Nakivubo drainage channel.
