Mayor Kalema’s seat hangs by a thread as NUP finds his successor

The days for Katabi Town Council Mayor Ronald Kalema Basamulekkere in office seem to be numbered, and his seat hangs on a thread as the leadership of the National Unity Platform has finalized the plan to replace him with journalist George William Kakooza. 

The leadership of the National Unity Platform (NUP) in the Busiro South constituency believes Mayor Kalema has not performed to their expectations and voted him out of office.

The battle for the NUP ticket for Katabi Town Council mayorship has attracted four candidates, who include journalist George William Kakooza Musisi, Emmanuel Ssali Mugerwa, Charles Kalema, and Ronald Kalema Basamulekkere—the incumbent party flag bearer.

In a meeting held last week on Friday at Tripple S Gardens in Kawafu village, Katabi Town Council, at least 15 out of the 23 NUP village chairpersons agreed to support journalist George William Kakooza Musisi in the 2026 mayoral elections.

The LC1 Chairperson argues that among the prospective NUP candidates, journalist George William Kakooza is easy to market among the electorate because of the dedicated media services he has rendered to the people of Katabi Town Council. 

They said in the last mayoral elections they voted for the incumbent mayor Ronald Kalema, but ever since he was elected to power, he has never thanked them, and that it’s now high time to replace him with a potential and competent candidate. They claim they are determined to vote him out of office. They, however, seriously warned journalist Kakooza against behaving in the same way once elected mayor for the Katabi Town Council in the 2026 mayoral polls.

The electorate accused Mayor Kalema of allegedly involving himself in dirty deals, citing the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Kampala Capital City Authority to dump garbage at the Nkumba dumpsite following the Kitezi landfill tragedy. They assert that the garbage poses health hazards to locals residing near the dumpsite, which in turn prompted some of them to vacate.

The electorate also accuses Mayor Kalema of allegedly endorsing the construction of Entebbe Speke Resort, yet he knew very well the contractors were dumping murram in Lake Victoria as they tried to expand the hotel.

They further accuse Mayor Basamulekkere of allegedly soliciting bribes from landlords during the construction of the Kitara-Gerenge road in Katabi Town Council.

During the meeting held last week on Friday, the Busiro South NUP returning officer, Jack Wilson Kayemba, revealed that so far, journalist Kakooza Musisi stands at 80% to win the party ticket. He, however, told the journalist to prepare for a public debate with his fellow competitors within the party.

Journalist George William Kakooza told the meeting that once he wins the 2026 mayoral elections, he will ensure effective service delivery to locals. He revealed that he would first focus on service delivery, promoting talents through sports, and empowering women and the youth through retooling them so that they become job creators rather than being job seekers.