Mbarara City Mayor Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi finds himself in a tense political atmosphere as Igara West MP Hon. Gaffa Mbwatekamwa enters the mayoral race with full force, aiming to oust him from office.
What initially circulated as a rumor has now been confirmed: Hon. Mbwatekamwa, currently serving as Member of Parliament for Igara West constituency, has declared his intention to contest for the seat of Mbarara City Mayor.
The current mayor, Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi—a former radio presenter—rose to power in the 2016 general elections by defeating veteran politician Hon. Wilson Tumwine. His administration capitalized on already-laid foundations for government initiatives such as the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) project, under which major roads in Mbarara were tarmacked, and street lighting improved. These developments earned Kakyebezi a second term in 2021.
In 2020, when Mbarara Municipality was elevated to city status, Kakyebezi became the first Lord Mayor of Mbarara City—a milestone he proudly welcomed.
However, Mbwatekamwa insists that it is time for a leadership change in the city, arguing that Kakyebezi has failed to significantly improve Mbarara’s urban landscape. He maintains that despite having lobbied for several development projects, the city leadership has not utilized the opportunities effectively.
Speaking to the media, Mbwatekamwa expressed concern over issues such as corruption, bribery, and inefficient service delivery.
“Mbarara City, at the level it is now, resembles the act of fetching water with a basket—you pour in more, but it keeps leaking. As a striker, it’s pointless to keep scoring if you continue conceding goals. A smart striker either falls back to defend or takes position at the goal post. Similarly, if the leadership is ineffective, no matter how much we lobby, the people will continue to suffer,” Mbwatekamwa emphasized.
He lamented that Western Uganda MPs are growing weary of lobbying for funds and projects that collapse upon reaching the city due to poor management by the city mayor and his executive team.
“We go to Parliament, lobby for resources, but when the funds arrive here, they are misused. Some money is even returned to the central government at the end of the financial year, yet services here remain poor,” he said.
Mbwatekamwa pointed out that Mbarara City lacks a distinct identity compared to other major urban centers. “Fort Portal is known as a Tourism City, and Jinja as an Industrial City. But what defines Mbarara? We once proposed it become a Medical City, a national hub for healthcare, but now look at the deteriorating state of our health centers.”
He added that several proposed initiatives, including the construction of an international hospital and a hospital for the elderly, failed due to poor coordination by city officials. The failure to relocate police from National Forestry Authority (NFA) land further stalled development projects.
He also accused the City Service Commission, appointed under Kakyebezi’s leadership, of being incompetent and corrupt, thereby denying job opportunities to local residents.
“We have gone for years without a functioning service commission, and our children in Mbarara remain unemployed. Everyone knows about the Katete bridge scandal—it’s become a public concern,” he said.
He further highlighted fraud at the central market and called for a review of awarded contracts and tenders, especially those linked to utilities like Yaka tokens.
Mbwatekamwa expressed disappointment over the failure to construct a modern stadium at Kakyeka, initially planned to host AFCON matches,