During Eid prayers at Kibuli, Kampala city Lord Mayor Ssalongo Erias Lukwago pleaded with the Muslim titular leader Dr. Prince Kassim Nakibinge Kakungulu to intervene and stop fellow politicians who are using his sickness as a political weapon to de-campaign him.

Lukwago said that his political enemies have been moving around asking Kampala voters not to vote for him come 2026 claiming that he is a sick man who need to take a rest from politics and who no longer has the energy to fight President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

Lukwago’s close friends told theGrapevine that the man from Kabungo in Kalungu district pleaded to Prince Nakibinge to talk to National Unity Platform’s Makindye Division mayor Ali Kasirye Mulyanyama who is moving around at public functions telling voters not vote Lukwago come 2026 because Kampala struggles need energetic people like himself.

Mulyanyama not only stopped voters but also assured KCCA football club leadership that very soon, he is coming back into the leadership ranks of club leadership as the club’s patron because when one becomes the Lord Mayor, he automatically becomes the club patron.

When contacted, Mulyanyama boasted that he is bad news to Lukwago and he is giving him sleepless nights. He advised him to retire or else he will not manage the political pressure he is exerting on him.

“You know, nowadays since I declared my interest to stand for Lord Mayor seat, he no longer responds to my greetings. But I will not be scared of his intimidation and his cries for sympathy to the public. I’m telling you come 2026, I will ask him to retire,” Mulyanyama boasted.

He challenged Lukwago to tell the public the right disease he is suffering from claiming that when he was in Nairobi hospital in early this month, he said that he was suffering from a back bone but when he returned, he showed the public that the pain was in his neck that is why he always covers it.

He told Lukwago that Kampala voters will no longer fall prey to his political tricks of hoodwinking them to vote for him as a way of sympathizing with him without examining his previous performance.

Lukwago is under pressure because Bobi Wine’s elder brother Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu, David Lewis Rubongoya the Secretary General of the National Unity Platform (NUP) and others have declared interest to contest against him.

Since 2011, Lukwago has been Kampala city Lord Mayor and he still wants to be voted back in office come 2026.

Lukwago rubbished Mulyanyama’s allegation that sickness has weakened him and he no longer has energy to fight for the people of Kampala.

He also boasted that the people of Kampala know the qualities they want in a Lord Mayor and because he has them all, he is going to use them to defeat all his opponents come 2026.

By Hadijjah Namagembe

It looks like controversial former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Gen. Edward Kale Kayihura is set to eat big as the Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s cleaning process at the army headquarters kicks off.

Highly placed State House sources told mighty Grapevine that when Museveni was appointing Gen. Muhoozi as commander of the army, he directed him to go and do a thorough cleaning of the institution by removing all the bad elements and curbing the vices that have placed the national army in bad light.

Museveni made the statement after receiving a detailed report on how corruption was killing patriotism and development in the army where by top army bosses were only thinking about themselves and accumulating a lot of wealth by using their positions to grab land, involving themselves in criminal activities and failing to take disciplinary action against errant junior officers.

theGrapevine has established that Museveni was informed that the army leadership was inflating the prices when it came to buying food, fuel and other equipment especially those that were going to be used to facilitate the fighting of the deadly Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) terrorists in the thick forests of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

To empower him to properly execute his orders, Museveni legalised the Army Establishment Document which placed all its elements under the command of the CDF including the Special Forces Command (SFC), an elite unit in the army which is responsible for the security of the president, his family members, the country’s very important persons and the nation’s vital installations.

Sources divulged that even though President Museveni appointed Lt. Gen. Sam Okiding as the deputy Chief of Defense Forces and Gen. Jackson Bakasumba as the Chief Joint Staff to help in the cleaning process, Gen. Muhoozi wants the entire technical wing also to be reshuffled.

Highly placed sources in State House said that Gen. Muhoozi has recommended Gen. Kayihura to be appointed the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defense and Veteran Affairs to replace the aging Rosette Byengoma.

“He wants a fearless person, it seems there are untouchables in the Ministry of Defense who have already reported to him (Gen Muhoozi) and he needs a person like Kayihura to use his experience to streamline the ministry,” a source said.

State House sources added that Kayihura is likely to take over the position on contract basis because he has already reached the retirement age of 60 years.

Gen. Muhoozi led the fight to save Gen Kayihura from being sentenced to death when he was implicated in treasonous activities against President Museveni’s government.

He was charged before the Makindye based Court martial.

However, his charges were dropped and he was immediately released from the army.

Gen. Muhoozi declared him as one of the good cadres who Museveni has to rehabilitate and re-assign national duties.

According to sources, Byengoma is likely to be shown the exit door as it was done to former Chief of Defense Forces Gen. Wilson Mbadi who was appointed a minister in charge of trade, his deputy Lt. Gen. Peter Elwelu who was appointed a Senior Presidential advisor, Joint Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Eric Leopard Kyanda and the senior Minister for Defense and Veteran affairs Vicent Ssempijja.

Sources disclosed that Museveni is expected very soon to reshuffle Permanent Secretaries.

Among those who are not likely to survive include: troubled Geraldine Ssali Busuulwa, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Trade, Industries and Cooperatives (MTIC); Adolf Mwesigye the Clark to Parliament; Dr. Amin Zawedde the permanent Secretary Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology; Doreen Katusiime Permanent Secretary Ministry of tourism.

But in the course of investigating this story, other sources told theGrapevine that Museveni cannot assign Kayihura to work on a daily basis with Muhoozi claiming that the plan may backfire against him.

“Who told you that Museveni wants people in the same docket to be on good terms and cooperating? He wants them to be fighting each other because he benefits from their fights,” another knowledgeable source said.

By Sengooba Alirabaki

Maverick Mukono Municipality legislator who also doubles as the opposition Internal Affairs Shadow minister Betty Nambooze Bakireke and controversial senior presidential advisor on media Joseph Tamale Mirundi have placed Matia Kasaija the senior minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and his experts who include the Secretary to Treasury Ramathan Ggobi on spot to explain why they have allocated Shs1.8bn in the coming financial year 2024-25 to Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, Shs.1.4bn to his Deputy Richard Butera and Shs1.2bn to the Principal Judge Dr. Flavian Zeija as donations.

Both celebrated veteran journalists revealed that Ugandans are spending a lot of money on Chief Justice Dollo and other Judicial Officers to the extent that even in retirement they are going to look after them by paying them the full salary equal to that of those still serving in their respective offices, pay for their medical bills and other juicy allowances; and as if that is not enough, they are now adding another burden of giving them billions of shillings as donations.

“Will Dollo and those Judicial Officers donate the billions of money allocated to him by Kasaija to clerks in the judiciary or his security team? Ugandans are tired of this luxurious spending. Now traders in Kampala city, the heart of the economy, are on strike because of the high taxes but government officials are still squeezing them,” Nambooze said.

She further disclosed that Shs2.4bn was allocated to the Parliamentary Commission and predicted that other parliamentary commissioners are going to also receive Service Awards similar to that of former Leader of Opposition in Parliament Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba who was given Shs500m.

When Lwemiyaga county legislator Theodore Ssekikubo tried to table the matter on the floor of parliament this week, Speaker Among blasted him for speaking nonsense.

However, Speaker Among was defended by Mirundi who noted that she should not be harassed because most government officials are given billions of money to be spend as donations.

In his alternative budget 2024-25, shadow minister for Finance, Planning and Economic Development who also doubles as Kira Municipality legislator Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda said that the government has budgeted for Shs162bn as donations in the 2024/25 budget.

He explained that more than half of the said money is under the residence of the President who will spend Shs77bn on community outreach programmes under the vote of item (description) donation.

His residence will donate another Shs59bn in what is termed as presidential initiatives bringing the total donations at his residence to Shs138bn.

Ssemujju said Museveni will spend Shs.4.2bn under his office on donations.

Ssemujju’s alternative budget also revealed that Chris Obore, parliament’s Director for Public Relations, will spend Shs 4.9bn in donations.

Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja’s office will spend Shs 3.7bn as donation.

The Office of the Speaker of Parliament will spend Shs2.4bn and her deputy Thomas Tayebwa will spend Shs 1.8bn in donations.

The government chief whip Obua Denis’s office will spend Shs1.8bn.

Presidential Office for Mobilization and Security Services which is responsible for supervision and monitoring of field offices allocated with Shs4.2bn, Parliamentary Commission Office of the Speaker Administrative and support services Shs2.4bn, National Council of Sports Sports/Technical Talent Identification and Development was allocated with Shs2.2bn for donation.

The office of the Prime Minister Executive Governance Government Chief Whip Shs1.8bn, Parliamentary Commission Office of the Deputy Speaker Administrative and Support Services Shs1.8bn, Justice Kasule Lumumba’s Office of the Prime Minister Executive Governance General Duties was given Shs9.5bn for donation.

Vice president Jessica Alupo’s Office was given Shs7.1bn, Uganda Blood Transfusion Service Blood Donation Blood Collection was given Shs535,186,000.00, Parliamentary Commission Parliamentary Commission Secretariat Leadership and Management Shs4.8bn, Gen. Moses Ali’s Office of the Prime Minister Executive Governance 2nd Deputy Prime Minister  was given Shs200,000,000, Judiciary Chambers of the Chief Justice Dollo’s Leadership and Management was given Shs1.8bn,  Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga’s Office of the Prime Minister Executive Governance 1st Deputy Prime Minister Shs1.5bn.

Rukia Nakadama’s Office of the Prime Minister Executive Governance 3rd Deputy Prime Minister Shs1.5bn.

Justice Butera’s Judiciary Chambers of the Deputy Chief Justice Leadership and Management given Shs1.4bn.

Dr. Dorothy Kisaka’s Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Administration and Human Resource Administrative and Support Services allocated Shs1.2bn.

Principal Judge Dr Zeija ‘s Judiciary Chambers of the Principal Judge Leadership and Management given Shs1.2bn.

The newly reappointed Prisons Commissioner General Dr. Johnson Byabashaija’s Uganda Prisons Service Finance and Administration Leadership and Management was given Shs95,000,000, Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Tourism Research Shs.63,000,000, National Population Council Family Health Reproductive and Infant Health Services Shs58,000,000, National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board Research and Planning Research and Advocacy Shs50,000,000.

Again Kadaga’s Ministry of East African Community Affairs Finance and Administration Administrative and Support Services given Shs40,000,000, Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Kastgazi Tumusiime’s police Force Command and Control Strategic Command and Policy Guidance Shs35,709,195, Uganda Management Corporate Office Administrative and Shs30,043,000.

Again Kisaka’s Institute Support Services Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive support Administrative and Support Services was given Shs.25,000,000.00m, Inspectorate of Government (IG) Finance and Administration Support services Shs.20,800,000, Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) Finance and Administration Communication and Public Relations Shs.19,000,000, National Forestry Authority (NFA) Natural Forests Management Central Forest Reserves Management Shs.18,000,000, National Forestry Authority (NFA) Finance Administration Administrative and Support Services Shs12,000,000.

Kampala Central mayor Salim Uhuru’s Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Central Division Urban Council Policies, Regulations and Standards Shs.11,610,833. National Unity Platform’s Emmanuel Sserunjogi’s Kawempe Division Urban Council Policies, Regulations and Standards Shs 11,610,833.

Mberaze’s Lubaga Division Urban Council Policies, Regulations and Standards Shs11,610,833.

NUP’s Ali Kasirye Mulyanyama’s Makindye Division Urban Council Policies, Regulations and Standards Shs11,610,833 and NUP’s Paul Mugambe’s Nakawa Division Urban Council Policies, Regulations and Standards Shs11,610,833.

Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Central Division Urban Council Planning and Budgeting services Shs10,000,000. Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Kawempe Division Urban Council Planning and Budgeting services was given Shs.1,000,000.

Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Lubaga Division Urban Council Planning and Budgeting services Shs.10,000,000, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Makindye Division Urban Council Planning and Budgeting services Shs.10,000,000.

Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Nakawa Division Urban Council Planning and Budgeting services Shs.10, 000,000, Mountains of the Moon University Vice Chancellors Office Leadership and Management Shs 10,000,000, Makerere University Central Administration Administrative and Support Services Shs9,999,992 among others.

According to Ssemujju, President Museveni’s government is set to spend a total of Shs.162,682,961,045 only on donations.

However, when contacted, Kasaija rubbished Ssemujju’s budget explaining that he lacks capability to plan for Uganda.

He advised him to only help him and President Museveni by exposing government officials who are involved in corruption and are eating taxpayers’ money allocated to their offices for service delivery to the common person deep in the village.

By Sengooba Alirabaki