The Minister for Presidency, Milly Babirye Babalanda has held the supporters of National Resistance Movement (NRM) in Mukono district responsible for the party’s loss of a number of electoral positions to the opposition’s National Unity Platform (NUP) in the recent general elections.
Babalanda said most of the NRM supporters in Mukono are fond of speaking ill against their fellow party leaders and members, something he said it’s holding the party behind.
She gave an example of a number of people who approached her when she had just assumed the ministerial office telling her how bad the Mukono Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Hajat Fatuma Ndisaba Nabitaka was and they were asking her to have her sacked.
“They told me Ndisaba was not realistic in the way she was performing her duties and some of them referred to her as a supporter of the opposition. However, I gave it time as I did my own investigations. Fortunately, after some time, I proved that those were mere baseless rumours,” Babalanda said.
The minister made the revelation on Saturday while addressing the guests that turned up for a thanksgiving ceremony (Shukur) organized by RDC Ndisaba praising Allah for enabling her to make a Holy pilgrimage to Mecca elevating her title as a Hajat.
Babalanda said it’s unfortunate that Mukono Municipality and Mukono district at large, which has got the biggest numbers of NRM supporters, can fail to get a single Member of Parliament in the last general elections.
“I am now a resident of Mukono municipality, and on record, whenever I stay, NRM wins big. So, let’s transform and get organized as we get close to 2026,” she said.
She however praised Ndisaba for the hard work and teamwork with her subordinates, the deputy RDCs Mike Ssegawa and Rhonda Titwe Kagaga.
Babalanda said that after assessing the workload the RDC’s office had, she decided to appoint a second RDC for Mukono district whereby Rhonda is responsible for Mukono Municipality and Ssegawa for other duties.
The function which was held at Njerere Cell in Goma Division, Mukono Municipality at the home of Fatuma and Hussein Ndisaba attracted a number of dignitaries including; the Minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, Hajat Minsa Kabanda, Mukono district NRM chairman, Haji Twahir Ssebaggala, the Greater Mukono District Khazi, Sheikh Abdul Nuuh Kakande, Mukono Cathedral Vicar, Rev. Edward Muyomba, Mukono Central Division chairperson, Peter Kabanda, among others. Also the retired Assistant Inspector of Police, Fred Yiga and his wife, Beaatrice Yiga were in attendance.
Minister Kabanda thanked Ndisaba for her exceptional leadership respecting the Islamic faith in what she does and what she says given the fact that she just converted to the religion after getting married.
“I am impressed by Hajat Ndisaba’s love for the Islamic faith, more than the people who were born in it,” Minister said as she referred to the RDC’s revelation that she was Florence before she got married to Haji Hussein Ndisaba who made her to convert from Christianity to Islam and changing to Fatuma.
Kabanda asked the Islamic followers to get interested in government programs saying that in the recent passing of the Islamic Banking by the Parliament, they are now free to benefit from the programs like Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga and others in a way that does not violate their religion.
According to the laws of Islam, they are not supposed to benefit from programs which involve giving out money with the intentions of getting interests and with the Islamic Banking that is well addressed.
“I am therefore asking many of you who were lagging behind just because of that, or others who had no option because of the situation and you had already taken the money to go back and have the conditions revised based on the restrictions that do not violate our religion,” Kabanda said.
She thanked President Yoweri Museveni for having listened to their cries, which had taken quite a long time trying to explain to him how Islamic Banking would be good not only to the Islamic followers but to the entire country.
Sheikh Kakande, the District Khazi praised the RDC Ndisaba for having maintained her marriage, a big challenge to most of the female politicians.
“Money, politics and leadership have been the biggest reasons for the failing marriages of most Ugandans. However, we have a few who have learnt to manage politics and marriage, the likes of Hajat Ndisaba,” Sheikh Kakande said.
The Vicar, Rev. Muyomba said that however much Ndisaba is of the Islamic religion, he also handles the issues from people of other denominations with
out any bias.
Ndisaba revealed her experience while at Mecca saying that it was not a simple task to fulfil the whole pilgrimage though following her enthusiasm, and love for the religion; she managed to gracefully go through all of the procedures.
Ndisaba also invited the NUP’s supporters and other opposition leaders in the district including Sheikh Abubaker Kayiwa, who has been heading the Mukono Municipality’s Member of Parliament, Betty Nambooze’s campaigns for the last two terms including the one, Ndisaba contested with her.
Sheikh Kayiwa said though they have been friends with Ndisaba for some time, they met at Mecca and that cemented their friendship.
“I am willing to support you (Ndisaba) when you contest in the 2026 general elections but, you should not contest with Nambooze for Mukono Municipality but at least for Mukono district woman MP seat,” he said.