The race for Masaka City Mayor has officially kicked off with three candidates successfully nominated on the first day at the Electoral Commission nomination centre in Masaka City.
The incumbent Florence Namayanja of the National Unity Platform (NUP), former mayor Godfrey Kayemba Afaayo running as an Independent, and Fredrick Ddembe Kipaapali of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) are now in the running to steer the city’s leadership for the next five years.
Namayanja, who is seeking a second term, highlighted her achievements including reclaiming nine titles of public land previously sold off by her predecessors.
Among them are the bus and taxi parks as well as Hill Road Primary School land.
She also pointed to improvements in garbage collection and environmental conservation.
Namayanja pledged to intensify efforts to recover other lost properties, extend road networks, and pave city corridors to ease traffic flow.
Kayemba Afaayo, who once served as mayor before losing to Namayanja, said he takes pride in laying the foundation upon which the city currently operates.
His campaign focus is on amending city tax policies to ease business and creating free parking spaces to decongest the city.
NRM’s Ddembe centered his manifesto on promoting government programs such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga.
He faulted the current city leadership for failing to give these initiatives adequate publicity and support.
However, the day was not short of drama. Tensions erupted when two NUP aspirants clashed over the party flag for the position of Direct City Councillor representing Nyendo-Mukungwe Division.
Masaka City Speaker Achilles Mawanda had earlier presented his papers as the official NUP candidate, but shortly after, Maria Esther Mutesti stormed the nomination centre with jubilant supporters, claiming she was the rightful flagbearer.
Her excitement was cut short when the Electoral Commission Returning Officer Hydary Joloba confirmed Mawanda’s nomination, explaining that he had presented duly signed forms with the party’s official stamp. Joloba advised Mutesti to seek nomination as an independent candidate.
A furious Mutesti rejected the advice, accusing NUP’s Masaka leadership of betrayal and connivance.
In tears, she castigated the district registrar for allegedly manipulating the process, insisting that her name had appeared on the party’s official list released by the Election Management Committee.
The incident highlighted growing cracks within the NUP’s local structures even as the city braces for a heated contest between three prominent mayoral candidates.
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