To win the speaker’s crown at Kampala Capital City Authority earlier in March, ABUBAKER KAWALYA struggled to navigate two conflicting political obligations–to his party FDC, which supported a different candidate and to his sense of public duty born of his previous life as councilor.
Finally, when all votes were cast and counted from 32 councilors, Kawalya garnered 17 votes to beat FDC’s favoured candidate Doreen Nyanjura who got 14 votes. Nyanjura was a protégé of Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago. Last week Kawaya discussed his complicated path to victory with The Observer’s Baker Batte Lule in his new office at City Hall.
It has been two weeks since you assumed the office of the Speaker of KCCA, what can you report so far?
A lot has transpired in these two weeks. We convened a council meeting to handle our budget which was concluded successfully. We have budgeted Shs 523 billion for the next financial year. We have had an improvement because the previous budget was 428 billion. We got some donation from the African Development Bank of Shs 95 billion.
We have also received some money from the World Bank. I expect a lot of projects to be worked on in the next financial year especially the road network and drainage system as you know flooding is one of the major concerns in the city.
If we work together, both the technical team and the elected leaders, I’m very sure a lot will be achieved. How do you call for teamwork with the technical team before you bridge the gap with the political team?
The lord mayor says you didn’t do adequate consultation while passing the budget...
Sometimes we need to be honest with each other. Those who recall, on election day, during communication from the lord mayor, he requested us to amend the budget after the elections. I don’t know why he was doing it. But because time was against us, we postponed that program to another day.
But the moment we left the chambers, we received requests from the executive director [ED] that it was very urgent to pass the budget because they needed to submit it to the ministry of finance to take the statement to parliament. As a speaker, I understand that would be the responsibility of the executive committee that is not fully constituted.
The executive committee is supposed to be approved by council, which is chaired by me but that day the executive committee wasn’t there. What I did is what was supposed to be done, according to the law. Whoever thinks that I did something against the law, should challenge it. I issued a notice and members came so we had quorum. So, let’s not do politics in each and everything. The people of Kampala are expecting a lot from us.
Is this a pointer to how your relationship with Lukwago is going to be, moving forward?
Let me tell you, a lot of activities have transpired in the office of the lord mayor and I’m not even informed but I don’t complain. I don’t have any bad feelings about the lord mayor. Whoever thinks there is bad blood between us, is mistaken. Our focus should be on service delivery to the people of Kampala. We were all elected by the people.
Let’s not think that it’s only one person who was elected. If we come here and start fighting, it will not work. The lord mayor invited the media and unveiled his members of the executive committee without consulting me. But that’s okay because it falls under his mandate.
The following day I convened a business committee meeting and announced that we were going to handle that item. If I had intensions of fighting, would I have done that? The amended Act is very clear; it gives me my roles and I’m very sure I will perform them. It’s very good to operate within the law.
I’m not a technical person; therefore, you will not find me fighting with anyone. We went through a tough war for three months and to me, that’s enough. We should focus on what people sent us to do. That’s why I wouldn’t want to waste time on things like the budget because if we fail to pass it, the minister will present it to parliament without our consent.
We heard that you are trying to reach out to some elders to bridge the gap between you and the lord mayor...
I have gone to some people and hope to continue doing so. There is hope because we are all leaders mandated by the people. At the end of the day, we have a common agenda.
By the way, we are all in the opposition; so, we can’t continue fighting and do nothing for the people of Kampala. Something positive should really happen at City Hall. That’s why I have tried to reach out to senior leaders, both political and religious, and I’m also trying to get cultural leaders.
His office is just downstairs, why don’t you walk there and have a talk?
That should be done when there is need; if there is no need, why should I go there; I also have my office. If you recall when he was unveiling his cabinet, he gave us the deputy Sarah Kanyike as our direct contact.
As far as I’m concerned, I will be engaging with her. Our two offices are coordinating very well. When I talk about the Business committee, the lord mayor is represented.
The deputy is a member. One of the things doing rounds on social media... [interruptions]
My friend, I can’t comment on issues on social media because they will say whatever they want...
But even respected leaders like your party deputy president Salaamu Musumba and MP Betty Nambooze... [interruption]
I can’t respond to Salaamu; she has nothing to do with my political career...She was once a leader who knows how things are done. We don’t talk about serious issues in anticipation. So, I don’t have time to comment about Salaamu Musumba. She has a right of expression; she can say whatever she wants. I equally don’t have time for what Nambooze has to say.
They say the wave that brought FDC at KCCA was a protest against DP councilors who conspired in 2013 to impeach Lukwago. So, they see you are taking the same trajectory...
When they did all their illegal things to choose a leader forcefully how can I follow them? You give councilors guidelines on how they are going to choose a leader of their choice and then the next day, you produce another set of guidelines where NEC was to decide after Kawalya winning and you expect me to respond to such crap? I don’t have that time. The good thing is that the people of Kampala are on my side.
You are not sacred?
We all have political careers, whoever thinks he’s going to threaten me is doomed. My focus is on the job from council and the people of Kampala are okay with it. The council I chair has 32 members, I received 17 members, how do you know who voted for me?
By the way, I’m one councilor who has been on the lord mayor’s side. I have chaired two crucial committees of Physical Planning and Engineering. We have been moving together all along and he knows it. We just had different interests when it came to the office of the speaker. Politics is about interest. When I find that someone is against my interest, be sure, we will clash.
If you have been working smoothly together, why was he against you being speaker?
I don’t know; he’s the one with the answer. All I know is that I knew what to do. He might have forgotten how council is managed. If we come here as members of council, we become a family. I’m one person who has been on the side of councilors. If you think you are going to oppress them, I will always be on their side.
So, there is oppression here?
There is a big lesson to learn here. If you’re a father in the family, it’s not good to show your heir before you die. Write the will, give it to someone else, they will always read it. So, it’s a very big mistake the lord mayor made. I have the right to contest and he has a right to support the candidate of his choice. At the end of the day, it’s God who chooses leaders.
Part of the fight was to ally with the NRM, which won the deputy speakership...
When we are here as council, we are a family. This council has only five NRM members, Nyanjura got 14 votes and I got 17. How do you differentiate that these were NRM and these were opposition votes? By the way, did Nyanjura contact NRM members when she was looking for votes? Why is it okay for Nyanjura to contact NRM members and it’s not okay for me?
How does NRM that has only five councilors end up winning the office of the deputy speaker?
It was a game of brains. I had my numbers. Other questions can be put to other members who either won or lost. Me, I was against the decision of Najjanankumbi (FDC head office) to change rules of electing the speaker. Whoever FDC presented to us from the headquarters, we were not going to support her. We should always try to play fair. There is no way you can force leaders on us, that’s why their deputy also lost.
Political parties should operate according to their constitutions. The constitution of FDC is very clear; there shall be district caucuses, which should make decisions within their councils.
We have been making many decisions including on standing committees and they have never said it’s illegal, but when it came to the office of the speaker, they said it was
illegal.
Are you still FDC?
Of course...I heard some people say they are going to chase us, we are waiting for communication but as far as I’m concerned, I’m still a member. I actually renew my membership every year. But I must add that I have other ideologies that I believe in like People Power. By the way, it’s the other reason why I was being fought.
Do you belong to a political party when it’s massaging your interest and walk away when it doesn’t?
It’s about doing things in a free and fair manner. If you want to promote someone at the expense of others, there is no way I’m going to support you. We are in a free world where you can move in and out of a party.
Ordinarily when the interest of a party clashes with personal interest that of the party takes precedent...
I have been in FDC for 15 years and you have not heard me come out and complain. You remember in 2016 when members elected Ebi Florence as the FDC flag bearer for EALA and the secretary general, Nathan Nandala, wrote recommending Ingrid Turinawe, that’s how some people in FDC think that the party is their personal property. That will not be accepted by us.
How is your relationship going to be with FDC vis-a-vis your professed love for People Power?
There are two things that I don’t want you to mix; the speaker of KCCA and Kawalya, an elected leader, who fights for the interest of the common man. So, I want to tell you that I will be a member of any pressure group that fights for the interest of the common man. So, I’m going to continue associating with People Power.
People accuse you of being an opportunist who will jump on anything for as long as it can win you the next election...
They are free to say whatever they want. Whether I’m an opportunist or not, I won’t be the first. I have always seen big people in our politics doing the same thing. If it’s the strategy, I’m okay with it. I’m not a dictator, I allow people to say whatever they want.
They say you bribed councilors to vote for you...
Is there any proof to back that up?
The persons giving and receiving bribes normally are the only ones with proof...
But for me I have proof that they gave money to some of my members to vote for Nyanjura. But I want them to bring anyone to say that I gave them money. We should learn to accept defeat. They did everything to win this election. Nyanjura had a lot of big people in the opposition who met my colleagues and gave them money. Promised them heaven on earth but God knew who was going to be speaker.
They say some big people in NRM are on your side... The secretary general, Justice Lumumba, congratulated you...
But I’m not the first person she has congratulated in the opposition. I’m not NRM and I don’t relate with them.
What about in the dark?
No, that’s not me. Whoever is alleging that, knows that that’s not me. I know what I want.
But why was this even a major fight in the opposition?
But most of the questions you have asked me point to a serious battle, that isn’t true. Can you ask me some other questions? The battle was there, it ended and now it’s time for working.
But you can’t just move on without responding to what has happened...
Are you a politician or a leader in Kampala? Why are you anticipating issues in Kampala?
I’m telling you that as the speaker of the city, I’m not interested in fighting anymore. It happened for three months, it’s normal and it’s over. When there is an election, people will always fight.
bakebatte@observer.ug