Senior politicians, legislators, and stakeholders in Kikuube District have called for a reconciliation dialogue following a heated LC V chairperson by-election that has left the district council deeply divided.
The dispute stems from the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer process, which saw Philip Mbabazi initially win the party ticket in the primaries before being disqualified by the Electoral Commission over academic qualifications. The party subsequently handed the flag to his rival, Paddy Kisembo, who later contested and won as an independent.
The development has triggered political tension within the 26-member district council, with councillors reportedly split between Mbabazi and Kisembo camps, raising fears of governance paralysis.
Stakeholders, including Members of Parliament and Minister for Bunyoro Affairs Grace Mary Mugasa, have warned that without dialogue, divisions could undermine the newly sworn-in chairman and stall service delivery.
“The chairman Kisembo needs to ensure that he is in charge of the council, the politics time is over, hope councilors and other leaders in Kikuube understand that what now our people want is better services,” Mugasa said.
Kikuube Woman MP Florence Natumanya called for unity, urging Kisembo to act as a unifying figure in a district with diverse communities.
“We have a lot of hope in him, we hope he will be our unifying point, I also urge my colleague Members of Parliament to accord him, and the council the support they deserve to be able to win together,” she said.
Buhaguzi East MP Stephen Asera warned that past conflicts in the district council had previously affected development projects, including delays in upgrading health facilities due to political infighting.
“In the last term of office, for the first two and half years, we kept rubbing shoulders, not united a lot of fights, and this affected service delivery… so we ought to be intentional and get more united for better,” Asera said.
Kikuube District NRM Chairperson, who is also Buhaguzi MP Francis Kazini, said he was initiating a reconciliation process involving councillors, sub-county leaders, and other stakeholders to restore unity.
“I have already started the reconciliation, but of course it is a process and I will go on, will meet sub county leaders, district council members and other stakeholders so that we move at the same pace,” he said.
Newly sworn-in district chairperson Paddy Kisembo acknowledged the divisions and said he had already started engaging leaders from opposing camps, including Philip Mbabazi.
“I have met a number of people who did not support me. I’m asking my brother Philip Mbabazi and his camp to join me… let him bring them, merge them with mine so that our district gets good services. I promise to be a chairman of everyone,” Kisembo said.
Some leaders also cautioned that maintaining a strong working relationship between political leaders and technical staff will be critical to avoiding further conflict and ensuring effective service delivery.
