MBARARA CITY LEADERSHIP WAR! Stakeholders Rally Behind Finance Officer Mbarekye, Call For Bishops, Saleh, Ex-Mayor Tumwiine To Broker Peace
AMOS TAYEBWA
MBARARA
The bitter power struggle between Mbarara City Mayor Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi and Chief Finance Officer (CFO) David Mbarekye has escalated, with a fresh group of councillors and stakeholders coming out to oppose moves to have the city technocrat interdicted.
The latest development has opened another front in the growing standoff, with stakeholders from Mbarara City South Division accusing the Mayor and his allies of taking a decision that could further deepen divisions within the city’s leadership and undermine service delivery.
The latest protest follows a press conference held days earlier by Mayor Kakyebezi, members of his Executive and several councillors, including representatives from Mbarara City North Division, where they resolved to task the City Town Clerk with taking action against Mbarekye, whom they want to step aside.
The CFO has been accused by the Mayor’s camp of sabotaging government projects, causing financial losses to the city, delaying payments and mischarging.
However, on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, a rival group of councillors and stakeholders held a separate press conference in Mbarara City, openly challenging the proposed interdiction and defending Mbarekye’s conduct in office.
Leading the protest, Adam Abas, a councillor representing Mbarara City South Division, argued that the Mayor and his team were making a grave mistake by pushing for the CFO’s removal.
Abas and his colleagues portrayed Mbarekye as a public officer who has stood firm against corruption, arguing that his refusal to release certain funds was intended to protect public resources from possible misuse.
They alleged that some city leaders were unhappy with the CFO because he had resisted pressure to release money they wanted to access, adding that the current standoff should not be allowed to derail the city’s operations.
The group included Moses Kajubi, councillor representing Katete in Mbarara City South Division; Steven Muganga, former Biharwe Division LC3 Chairman and Coordinator of Global Anti-Corruption; Rajab Sansa, a People’s Liberation Union (PLU) mobiliser in Mbarara; and stakeholder Omar Mayanja.
Meanwhile, Bright Muhumuza, a former aspiring Member of Parliament for Mbarara City South Constituency and National Unity Platform (NUP) coordinator, warned that the escalating differences between elected leaders and city technocrats could ultimately hurt ordinary residents.
Muhumuza alleged that individuals within the city’s leadership were fuelling the conflict for personal interests, warning that the continued wrangles risked paralysing service delivery in the city.
He called on religious leaders, including bishops and sheikhs, as well as prominent stakeholders, to intervene and bring the warring parties to the negotiating table.
Among those he wants involved in the reconciliation efforts are former Mayor Tumwine and prominent Mbarara stakeholder Jovia Saleh, whom he believes could help broker a lasting understanding between the divided camps.
Muhumuza warned that unless the dispute is resolved urgently, residents could be left paying the price through disrupted public services.
“I urge some of our leaders here in Mbarara to stop fuelling wars among leaders and civil servants. Why should division leaders fight with city leadership? There should not be a war between a Member of Parliament and Mayor Kakyebezi,” Muhumuza said.
He added: “I therefore call upon our bishops, sheikhs and other eminent stakeholders like former Mayor Tumwiine, Jovia Saleh and others to intervene and unite our leaders here. If reconciliation fails, let the President himself intervene.”
The latest intervention comes amid growing divisions over Mbarekye’s position, with the opposing camps offering sharply different accounts of his role in the city’s financial management.
While the Mayor’s camp accuses him of frustrating government programmes and delaying financial transactions, his defenders insist that his actions are aimed at protecting public funds.
The standoff now threatens to turn into a wider political and administrative battle, with stakeholders warning that unless the parties find common ground, Mbarara City’s service delivery could suffer.
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