Barely weeks after sweeping to power in Mukono Municipality, leaders of the opposition-dominated administration are already locked in bitter infighting marked by accusations of betrayal, political sabotage and even witchcraft.
What was expected to be a triumphant new chapter for the National Unity Platform (NUP) in Mukono has instead exposed deep fractures within the party’s local leadership, with rival camps trading accusations behind closed doors and across social media platforms.
At the centre of the escalating political storm are Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze Bakireke and newly elected Mayor Robert Peter Kabanda, whose uneasy relationship has now evolved into an open power struggle threatening to overshadow governance in the municipality.
The tensions, insiders say, are not new.
Their political differences date back to the previous term when Kabanda served as Mukono Central Division Chairperson. Although both leaders emerged from a competitive NUP primary process and eventually campaigned under the same party banner, the rivalry never truly disappeared.
Kabanda’s supporters believe Nambooze quietly backed former mayor Erisa Mukasa Nkoyoyo during the heated NUP mayoral primaries.
After losing the party flag to Kabanda, Nkoyoyo contested as an independent candidate, deepening suspicions within Kabanda’s camp that sections of the party establishment were working against him.
Supporters of the mayor allege that Nambooze privately financed Nkoyoyo’s campaign efforts, claims that have never been publicly substantiated.
On the other hand, Nambooze’s allies have repeatedly accused Kabanda of having links to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), allegations that have similarly remained unsupported by any public evidence.
What initially appeared to be ordinary political mistrust has now exploded into full-blown factional warfare.
The first major sign that Mukono’s new administration was headed for turbulence emerged during the municipality’s inaugural council sitting last month.
NUP entered the Speaker election with what appeared to be an unassailable numerical advantage. The party controlled 18 council seats, including the mayoralty, while the NRM had only six councillors.
Yet the outcome stunned both party supporters and political observers.
NUP fronted Phibie Faith Babirye, reportedly backed by Mayor Kabanda, while the NRM rallied behind Constantine Kanga.
When Senior Magistrate Jacob Osiro announced the final tally after the secret ballot, Kanga had secured 13 votes against Babirye’s 11, handing the opposition an embarrassing and unexpected defeat despite its commanding majority.
The atmosphere inside council chambers reportedly shifted immediately.
What had begun as a celebratory transition of power quickly descended into suspicion, accusations and whispered claims of betrayal.
Kabanda, visibly shocked by the outcome, postponed the appointment of his executive committee, including the Deputy Mayor and committee secretaries, insisting he first needed to understand how the party had lost a vote it should comfortably have won.
According to sources within the municipality, the mayor accused some councillors of “selling their loyalty for peanuts.”
Soon after the vote, members of Kabanda’s camp turned their anger toward Nambooze and councillors believed to be loyal to her.
They accused them of collaborating with the NRM in exchange for alleged cash payments of about Shs2 million per councillor to influence the outcome of the Speaker election.
However, no evidence has been publicly produced to support the allegations, particularly because the election was conducted through a secret ballot.
Still, the accusations deepened mistrust within the party.
For many residents, the spectacle was both shocking and disappointing. Mukono had just handed NUP one of its strongest mandates in the region, only for its leaders to immediately descend into internal conflict.
Nambooze’s Message Adds Fuel to the Fire
The political tensions escalated further after a WhatsApp message circulated by Nambooze last week.
Although the message did not directly mention Kabanda by name, many interpreted it as a pointed attack on the mayor and his allies.
In the message, Nambooze accused unnamed political actors of persecuting former mayor Erisa Mukasa Nkoyoyo throughout his tenure.
She alleged that certain individuals repeatedly reported Nkoyoyo to authorities, spread damaging accusations against him and even resorted to witchcraft in pursuit of political office.
According to Nambooze, the same individuals had now shifted their political attacks toward her.
“After being voted into one office, they immediately begin fighting for another. Stop the habit of destroying people’s lives. What was done to Erisa should never be done to another person. Mukono does not belong to your grandfather, ‘Mukono ssi ya jjajjaawo!’,” she wrote.
The message quickly spread across political WhatsApp groups in Mukono, intensifying speculation and further polarising supporters.
Some residents interpreted the statement as an attempt by Nambooze to defend Nkoyoyo while indirectly accusing Kabanda’s camp of toxic politics.
Others viewed it as evidence that the municipality’s political divisions had now reached dangerous levels.
Witchcraft Claims Enter Municipal Politics
The unfolding drama took an even more bizarre turn after reports emerged that Mayor Kabanda had declined to occupy the office previously used by Nkoyoyo in the newly constructed municipal administration block.
Although the mayor has not publicly explained the decision, multiple sources claim concerns linked to witchcraft and spiritual fears influenced the move.
Instead of occupying the upper-floor mayoral office, Kabanda reportedly requested office space on the ground floor.
Sources further claim he also declined to use furniture left behind by his predecessor, prompting municipal authorities to begin arrangements for the procurement of new office furniture.
The developments have fueled intense speculation within Mukono’s political circles.
Nkoyoyo’s former office has since reportedly been allocated to Town Clerk Francis Byabagambi, while the Municipal Engineer moved into the office previously occupied by the Town Clerk.
Ironically, because the municipality has not yet secured funds for the new furniture and office arrangements, the mayor is reportedly still operating without a permanent working office weeks after his swearing-in.
The delay in constituting the executive committee has only heightened concerns that political infighting is paralysing the new administration before it has even properly begun work.
Nkoyoyo’s Painful Exit
During the official handover ceremony, outgoing mayor Erisa Mukasa Nkoyoyo openly expressed disappointment with Kabanda.
Nkoyoyo accused the new mayor of isolating him throughout the previous political term and abandoning him during periods of illness.
He claimed Kabanda neither visited him in hospital nor checked on him at home despite their long political association.
The remarks exposed the deeply personal nature of the divisions now shaping Mukono politics.
What had initially appeared to be ideological disagreements increasingly looks like a web of broken alliances, personal grievances and unresolved political bitterness stretching across multiple election cycles.
A Familiar Pattern Around Nambooze
For seasoned political observers in Mukono, the latest fallout is not entirely surprising.
Nambooze has previously been involved in public political feuds with several influential local leaders.
During an earlier political term, she maintained a prolonged and highly publicised rivalry with former Mukono Municipality Mayor George Fred Kagimu.
Attempts to reconcile reportedly failed repeatedly, eventually pushing Kagimu into direct political confrontation with Nambooze.
Their political battles created lasting divisions within Mukono and, according to critics, affected cooperation on development programmes and public service delivery.
After Kagimu’s political decline, Nambooze’s attention shifted toward then Mukono District Chairperson Rev. Dr. Peter Bakaluba Mukasa.
The relationship between the two leaders remained strained throughout much of the previous term.
Bakaluba on several occasions accused Nambooze of undermining his leadership by encouraging divisions within the district council, allegations he said weakened his ability to govern effectively.
The tensions later escalated into an electoral contest when Bakaluba challenged Nambooze for the Mukono Municipality parliamentary seat.
Nambooze ultimately retained the seat.
Now, with tensions seemingly transferred to Mayor Kabanda, many residents fear Mukono may once again become trapped in cycles of political confrontation that consume leadership attention while service delivery suffers.
Residents Caught in the Middle
Away from the political camps and WhatsApp battles, ordinary residents say they are increasingly worried about the direction the municipality is taking.
Mukono faces multiple governance challenges, including poor roads, drainage problems, urban congestion, waste management concerns and youth unemployment.
Many voters had hoped the overwhelming NUP victory would usher in a more coordinated and effective administration.
Instead, barely weeks into office, the municipality’s leadership appears consumed by internal suspicion and political score-settling.
Political analysts warn that unless the divisions are addressed quickly, Mukono risks entering another prolonged season of administrative paralysis.
“The biggest danger is when political leaders spend more time fighting each other than governing,” one local political observer noted. “The public eventually loses confidence, and service delivery becomes the casualty.”
For now, Mukono Municipality’s new leadership remains trapped in a growing political drama involving secret ballots, betrayal accusations, shifting alliances and even claims of witchcraft.
Whether the municipality’s leaders can overcome the bitterness and focus on governance may determine whether Mukono’s overwhelming opposition victory becomes a success story or another cautionary tale of internal political collapse.
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