Big Interview: "News of my transfer to Yumbe caught me by surprise," says Hudu Hussein

There were celebrations when Hudu Hussein, Kampala's vocal Resident City Commissioner was transferred to Yumbe in a reshuffle in March. In a candid interview with The Nile Post, Hussein said the news found him in class and he took some time to digest it. Yet he doesn’t regret anything that he did while executing his duties as Kampala RCC.

Excerpts below:

************** ************** ************** *********************************

First thing first, who is Hudu Hussein?

Hudu Hussein, is a Ugandan from the mountains of Elgon in Mbale district from Bumuluya village, Bumuluya parish, Bukonde sub county which is now northern city division of Mbale.

I am a son of Hajji Hudu Madanda and a grandson of Hajji Amiss Kahandi. All are from Mbale. Hudu is a proud husband of two wives, an ardent Muslim, a father of four children. My first born is in Senior 2, (15 years). People think I am very young but you can see.

Hudu started his education journey from Bumuluya primary school but that journey was a little short lived so I had to leave with my mother and we went to Busia where I continued my primary school. Busia is a border district, so I did my P1-P7 from there, I came back home in Mbale district.

I joined a school called Nkoma secondary school in Mbale district from S1-S4 where I also held a number of student leadership positions. So from there I went to Lugazi Mixed Secondary School for my A level where I also held a number of student positions. From there that’s when I joined the Islamic University in Uganda(IUIU) and then LDC for Diploma and then Makerere University for law and then UMI for masters and then now LDC for the bar course. So I have two degrees; in Education and Law with one masters which I am about to finish and now two diplomas.

How did you end up as Kampala RCC?

I don’t know but these things sometimes just happen. The leadership can make track of you and identify certain qualities in you or identify what kind of personality or character you hold and they see the need to bring you on board to offer a service to the country.

But I was working at the NRM Secretariat the head office on Kyadondo Road as head of youth and institutions desk where I resigned to go and contest in Mbale. When I lost, I worked at the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance at the Government Citizen Interaction Center and it’s from there that I was appointed as deputy RDC in Buikwe district. I was transferred to Kawempe as Deputy RCC and then I was transferred to Kampala on promotion as the RCC for Kampala Capital City. So how was I appointed, I don’t know but I was appointed.

You had announced a number of programmes to lift Kampala City. How did you feel when your plans were interrupted by this transfer?

First of all, it was an honour to serve as the RCC for Kampala and it’s also an honour to serve as the RDC of Yumbe. Kampala is the capital city of Uganda and I treated it as a special honour and when I came here I knew what I needed to do because I saw how disorganised the city is, how there is a lot of crime in the city right from when I was the deputy RCC Kawempe. I embarked on programmes to reduce criminality in the city. I started something called Kawempe Peace Keeping Vanguard and Reform Initiative in Kawempe and what I did was to mobilize the youth that had been abandoned, the criminal gangs, the youth that abuse drugs. If you ignore those youths, the opposition will misuse them, they will mobilise them.

In your view, what do you think could be the cause of disorganisation in Kampala City?

We need to speak the truth.It is bad politics. For example, is it bad to get the street vendors and hawkers and relocate them to the markets? Is it a bad thing? We have markets and the government has built markets in Nateete, in Wandegeya more markets are still being constructed.

If you leave the markets and you go to the roads and start selling, where does a vehicle pass? Is it something you can be proud of as a person? But because of the politics of lies, the cheap politics, the populism of some leaders they will not want to tell the people the truth. All they are interested in are the votes from them. They don’t mind about organisation, they mind about cheap politics.

Leaders in Kampala particularly the Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and his deputy have consistently said the city is for all people including the urban poor. What do you think?

You mean there are no urban poor in the markets? The urban poor are supposed to be in the markets. Why do you want to go in the middle of the road because you’re an urban poor? Let me tell you I am very proud of the achievements I registered in Kampala and if I was to be brought back I would start from where I stopped. I don’t regret anything, the only thing I can say I was misunderstood was the issue of street preachers. That one whatever the intention, that one they misunderstood me but I don’t regret anything I did in Kampala. The issue of street vendors and hawkers is something that we must address and ensure that they go to the markets. You cannot tell me that you’re going to build this city on lies.

Do you think there are some people within the government who were fighting you in the city?

Well I know that in executing my duties, I must have stepped on some people’s toes. If there are leaders within the government and love this government, they would have come to me and said, 'but this was wrong, don't do it,'. But if they are within government and they say the best thing is to remove him those are people who are in government but fighting government. Anybody who loves this government, if he finds you doing wrong he will call you aside and say this is wrong and give you [good advice] but if anybody says a transfer is what helps, you just know that those are saboteurs within the government.

Where were you when you received this news of your transfer and what came into your mind?

You man what are you looking for? I was in my law class, here at LDC by the way, when I learnt about the transfer. Of course I was not expecting it so I have to be honest with you that it was a surprise.

First of all, what you need to know is that every RDC or RCC or deputy RDC whenever he or she is appointed he or she signs on a contract and he or she must be ready to work in any part of the country.

So you are ready at any time to be taken anywhere but as a human being definitely you will be shocked. People called me like a thousand times and I refused to pick but I saw on twitter and I noticed that it was a transfer so after class I read it properly and I was definitely ready to move. I actually wonder why people thought I would not go to Yumbe.

There were rumours that you were being used by some people in government. Is it true?

Used how, used by who? That is “Lugambo” speculation. No, I was simply doing my work and I am proud of the work I did. I asked you a question here if getting street vendors off the street was bad. Of course I had a plan, those are some of the things that I feel bad that I didn’t do. There among street vendors and hawkers there were those who were affected severely and I had started mobilising them to help them get alternative means of livelihood and the government would help them under the emyooga fund, under the youth livelihood fund that was my target.

Unfortunately, I left without helping them so which people are using me?Which government people and how are they benefiting? It is only my government that was benefiting and the people of Uganda benefited. I know the opposition was celebrating. Not all opposition were celebrating, there those in opposition who are sober and they know that I was doing good work.

How is Yumbe and the people there?

The place is fine and they are very receptive. They are actually very happy to have me. They are very excited to work with me. So far I have worked there for a month and so far so good it’s not as bad. Actually it’s now the center of West Nile. You cannot say that Arua is the center of West Nile because it is developed but in terms of bee hive of activity, in terms of importance to this country, to this continent and to the world, Yumbe holding all those numbers of refugees is very special.

What are some of the things that you are going to begin with?

Well Yumbe, the number one challenge is the high level of teenage pregnancy. The number is alarming: over 4000 teenage pregnancies were registered between January and October. That is very alarming. I am trying to establish where the problem is of course people are trying to attribute it to the lock down. Most of those young children were at home but the entire country was in lockdown. It could also be poverty, it could be the political instability in the neighbouring South Sudan and so many people are coming in, it could be political ideology. It could be the attitude of the community; some people want to attribute it to Islam because the Muslims are the dominant there. There are a number of factors. I am told they also have criminal gangs there.