This investigative website can exclusively reveal that Kampala Lord Mayor Ssalongo Ronald Balimwezo is urgently looking for the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s audience.
Balimwezo who won the seat on National Unity Platform (NUP) ticket revealed to his councillors that his party president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) never stopped him from engaging president Museveni, Gen Muhoozi or any other government official when it comes to issues concerning Kampala city.
“My president Bobi Wine never sent me here not to work or cooperate with President Museveni’s ministers. The law also recognises the Kampala minister and she is the one going to defend our budget before parliament. I have to work with them to make sure that our unemployed youths get jobs and to get their salaries, the minister has to be involved,” Balimwezo said.
Ono Bwino has learnt that Balimwezo was already vetted among the KCCA top leaders who are set to engage Gen Muhoozi after he announced that he is going to meet them to discuss Kampala issues especially those concerning the city infrastructure.
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Highly placed sources closed to Balimwezo reveals to this website that Balimwezo wants to draw Muhoozi’s attention on the ongoing financial crisis which badly affects the day today running of the city.
Sources said that elected councilors both at city hall and the five divisions have not yet received their first salary and the Executive Director Hajat Sharifah Buzeki’s response is she has no money to pay them.
City hall councillors receive Shs6m a month and those at the division receive Shs3m which is not taxed.
The Lord mayor gets Shs28m while his deputy get Shs17m monthly plus they also receive allowances.
Sources added that city and division speakers failed to summon their maiden councils because Buzeki told them that there is no money to pay councilors sitting allowances which is between Shs1m or Shs500,000 each.
“On 4th June, KCCA speaker John Marry Ssebuufu summoned a city council meeting to discuss a number of issues but it was cancelled after Buzeki told him that there was no money for allowances, buying eats and drinks during the council proceedings,” a source at city hall said.
It is not clear whether the party top leadership cleared Balimwezo to hold talks with Museveni or his son Muhoozi but he has the full support of division mayors and councilors who urgently need money to pay debts they secured during the 2026 general elections.
“Councilors don’t want to see their term end without serious deals to solve their personal financial problems because their predecessors told them that they should use the first two years to make money otherwise they will leave city hall with nothing,” another source told Ono Bwino.
Balimwezo insists that his leadership style is not going to be confrontational but gentle and on principal noting that he even told Bobi Wine and other party leaders when they were giving him the party flag.
The development comes after the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) leaders pleaded with Bobi Wine to comeback to Kampala and sign an agreement admitting his party officially to the club of political parties with representatives in parliament.
Bobi Wine’s biggest scare of attending such a meeting is a hand shake with President Museveni on grounds that Museveni will use the photo to mislead the international community that they are in good books yet many of his supporters are in prison.
