Hoima District Boss pledges to fight corruption and leave a legacy

BY DOROTHY NYAMBUBI

HOIMA -UGANDA; Born in1996, Buswekera cell, Busiisi Division Hoima City, Uthuman Mugisa Mubarak Kadiri is one of the youngest local council five Chairman within Bunyoro Sub-Region who flourished his father the late Kirungi Kadiri the Local Council Chairman who lost his life in a nasty accident on 17^th/Mar/2023 in a road crash at Mataagi village in Bukomero Town Council Kiboga District on the Kampala-Hoima Highway.

Mugisa went through St Mary’s Bujumbura for his Primary level and later on he joined Buhikya Muslim secondary school and Mubende light for “O” Level which is partly a government school and finally went to Hoima School of Nursing where he acquired a Certificate in Comprehensive Nursing. He is currently pursuing a Diploma in clinical Medicine and Community Health at Kampala International University.

“Iam typically a product of Ugandan Government schools right from primary level to higher level of education” he said.

Mugisa is a married man with kids, social, loves travelling, reading and he spends most of his time in attending functions like fundraisings, burials, ceremonies, church Mass among others.

Leadership Journey                                                                           

Since his Primary, Secondary and Tertiary level of Education, Mugisa said that he held different leadership positions and in 2018, he attended a one month course and took a vital role in leadership and transformative including paramilitary training under the Interuniversity and Institutions NRM chapter at National Leadership Institute which equipped him with enough leadership skills. In the same year, he was appointed to represent students as one of the board Governor’s at Hoima School of Nursing and in 2019, he was later elected as the Guide President of the same institution.

In 2021-2022, he joined civil service as an enrolled Comprehensive Nurse who was first deployed at Kigoroobya Health center IV. While at the facility, Mugisa still carried on his leadership journey and due to his hard work, he was first appointed as the Head of Emergency at the same facility; later on he became the Head of the entire ward of the Outpatient Department-OPD and in the same year, he was added another Ward of Neonatal Intensive Unit and finally, he became the controlled quality improvement focal person of the facility.

In 2023, he was promoted to a level of a controlled quality improvement focal person of Hoima Sub-District where he supervised five (5) Health centers including Dwoli, Kigoroobya, Kapaapi, Butema and Buraaru all situated in Hoima District where he resigned in May 2023 and joined a political drive after the demise of his father.

“I have been a leader and a Politician from day one though I didn’t have any intension of vying for the LCV seat at this age” Mugisa said.

According to Mugisa, His Excellency the Republic of Uganda President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and his Father were his inspirational in a political field saying he emulated their ways in line with their duty and his aim was to occupy a bigger political position but not at the District level saying he was unable to achieve it at the time due to the political opportunity availed after the shocking demise of his father.

He further divulges that all what moved him into politics right from childhood was to see the indigenous person happy and resolving injustices in communities something he is embarking on as he assumed office on 3^rd/10/2023.

He says one of the biggest challenges encountered during and after elections is the public politicizing each an everything hence hindering one’s performance and inconveniences  service delivery within the district saying such politics is uncalled for and generates wars amongst leaders as well citizens. However, Mugisa discloses that he will never regret at any point as to why he craved for the position at his age saying his zeal and passion towards serving the public gives him the energy to whichever comes as a challenge takes it as an opportunity to serve the electorates equally.

He has pledged to unanimously provide quality services to the public in sectors of Health, Education, growth and Development and also resolving land wrangles fueling in the District. When asked how best he intends to achieve his set goals,  he said he believes in team work of all leaders and this will be handled by bringing together on table both the Technocrats and politicians in order to diligently serve the electorates.

“Every person was elected as an individual however, the combined effort that we will be exhibiting will help improve on the services to our people because the Politicians and technical teams have one goal.  The moment we have the same objectives we shall attain the set goals” he said.

When asked about the rampant corruption in the District, Mugisa acknowledged that corruption is one of the enemies choking and crippling service delivery more so on land puzzles.  He said his intention is to create tripartite committees in order to lessen the numbers of committee members as one way of having people who want to solve issues concerning people other than those with personal interests in issues being discussed.

 However, he denied the allegations that his father was a corrupt leader during his tenure in office before his demise.  The youngest Politician explained that cases of corruption in Hoima District should be blamed on the office of the district, every officials in the district are responsible.

“These puzzles are easy to solve expect there is financial vampires who are trying to extort money from the land grabbers so that they can evict residents from their ancestral lands and as the District Boss, it is one of the key biting issues iam focusing on and to prove the public wrong that the late Kirungi was not a corrupt man”. He told this publication.

Besides the land wrangles fueling corruption, Mugisa said there have been allegations of corruption in Hoima Service commission saying he is critically following it up and a robust recommendation has been given to the Chief Administration officer-CAO to further scrutinize the committee and in case there is any evidence of corruption, necessary measures will be taken against the culprits so that Jobs can be given on merit.

During his reign, Mugisa intends to leave a legacy of a quality service delivery for the people of Hoima in all sectors including development, peace, Job creation through local content by recommending citizens in Companies working in Oil and Gas sector within Bunyoro region.

“I will try to build an image where people will live to remember my services through different developments like infrastructure, Creation of Jobs, bursaries for disadvantaged students” Mugisa revealed.

He thanked the NRM government and the Electoral Commission for having organized a free and fair By-election since there was no cases of voter bribery, vote rigging and intimidations registered meaning that the served people’s expectations throughout the whole process. He urged government to intervene in issues like land wrangles affecting Bunyoro as a region saying if not solved this will distress development and natives will not be imposition to tap into Oil and Gas Sector. Mugisa said he will continue to sensitize locals on how best to hit opportunities in the sector and has also commended electorates to engage in farming since the activity attracts investors and different people who derive in the region with money but not food.

“First of all I don’t employ people but I can recommend for employment and make a follow up to see how many have been employed when I recommend because local residents should be first to benefit from the project in an area, I will also try to engage Oil Companies within Bunyoro in case an opportunity arise, they should also first consider our own residents who meet their qualifications for their advertised Job” he added.

When asked about acquiring the position through sympathy votes, Mugisa said people where right to utter such a statement since he was the only new entrant in the political system and the youngest amongst the aspirants in the race saying it was hard for him to emerge out of the blue and win the election since most of them have been in the game several. However he says it can’t be sympathy when the candidate himself is not fit to hold the office and cannot articulate issues at hand saying the Late Kirungi played his part where some did appreciate and other did not.

“I myself I was strong and courageous at the time and i would articulate issues affecting people of Hoima and I had the technical know-how, I would handle issues that arose during the campaign and had I not been a strong enough, I would have lost it” Mugisa said.

However, Mugisa has declared that come 2026, he will run for the same seat saying it’s one of the reasons, why he is working hard in these two year term to prove to the people wrong that however much he is young as people think, he is capable of delivering up to their expectations.