From Bamwine to Asiimwe: Working with people l know.

By Ahmed Kateregga Musaazi

Baganda say that : Ekitembe kissa kimu okuggyako ekya Nanteza” implying that Nanteeza was a Queen Mother for two Kabakas who were her sons.

On my part, l have not only deputized two Masaka City Resident Commissioners (RCC), but l have also eye witnessed their handovers, and in between l have had the benefit of being the Acting Masaka RCC.

A fortnight ago, there was an internal reshuffle of the Resident District and City Commissioners and their deputies in the country, and in Masaka City where l am a Deputy , my senior colleague Fred Bamwine, was transferred to Nakaseke District as Resident District Commissioner and was replaced with Omulangira Jjuuko Kasiita from Lwengo District.

A week later, Jjuuko Kasiita was transferred to Kyankwanzi District and was replaced with Mr. Steven Asiimwe who has been Resident District Commissioner from Gomba District.

So, at the handover of Mr. Bamwine to Mr. Asiimwe last Thursday at Office of Masaka RCC in Masaka City, where l was the Master of Ceremony, l said that l was privileged not only to have eye witnessed the two handover ceremonies, but also to having acted RCC for the two weeks.

Transfer of RDCs and RCCs like other political and public officers is normal. l am only happy to have worked with people l knew before , which sometimes, is rare. As a professional and practicing journalist, l have worked with Mr.Bamwine from late nineties when he was a mobilizer with Citizen Concern, which was an NRM mobilizers’ group at the time.

Then, ever since the inception of Uganda Media Center set up in 2005 under Mr. Robert Kabushenga, where l also volunteered as l was still a staff with Vision Group, Mr. Stephen Asiimwe was also a mobilizer affiliated to the Pan Africa Movement.

Yet, Omulangira Jjuuko Kasiita is my kinsman as we both belong to Balangira/Ababiito b’e Kibulalala in Singo and he was once LC III Chairperson, Kitanda Sub County, now Bukomansimbi District where l have an ancestral home at Mbaale-Kitaasa. My home village is Nnambiriizi in Mawogola County now Ssembabule District.

Until now, the Masaka RCC’s office, which was formerly Masaka RDC’s office before a city was curved out of Masaka, Lwengo and Kalungu districts, temporarily accommodates Masaka RDC’s office and the new RDC for Masaka District, Mrs. Teposta Lule Senkungo, who has been transferred from Bukomansimbi District, l first met her in 1991 when l was a reporter for Ngabo/The Star newspapers and she was one of the Masaka Central Resitance Council/Committee officials

 We were submitting views to Uganda Constitutional Commission under Justice Benjamin Odoki and l suggested that Uganda’s 10 provinces; Central, South Buganda, North Buganda, Busoga, Eastern, Western, Southern, Northern, Nile and Karamoja be restored. Teopista gave me  a point of information and wondered whether Baganda had told me that they wanted their region to be sub divided into three provinces.

With the office of the then District Administrator Kampala Charles Owor, Kampala Central  organized a chakamchaka course for students on holidays, where the chief instructor was the Secretary General of Uganda National Students Association Lt. Steven Katabaazi, now Deputy Director General of Internal Security Organisation.

Therefore, l am happy to work with people l  knew before and l think that despite the challenges, a President’s and Central Government’s representatives, we shall ensure that the NRM Manifesto 2021-2026 under the National Development Plan lll is implemented. Aluta continua.

Haji Ahmed Kateregga Musaazi is a veteran journalist and Deputy Resident City Commissioner, Masaka City

Contact 256-756/772836537Email:hajiahmedkateregga2016@gmail.com