Kampala, Uganda: Kampala Lord Mayor for Kampala hopeful on the NRM ticket, Kaweesa Mahad, on Friday suffered a humiliating defeat in the NRM structure elections in Rubaga North B Subcounty, a setback that casts doubt on his ambitions to contest for the city’s top political seat.
Mahad, who had positioned himself as a candidate for General Secretary at the sub-county level, was overwhelmingly rejected by voters after he reportedly failed to correctly spell the word “secretary” an incident that quickly went viral among voters and triggered widespread ridicule.
He lost to a lesser-known contender, Kakooza Atom, whose grasp of party procedure and basic literacy won over the voters in what many termed a test of basic competence and credibility.
A senior NRM mobiliser in Rubaga described the loss as a “reality check,” questioning Mahad’s preparedness to lead a complex urban constituency like Kampala.
“If you can’t convince people at the grassroots or meet minimum standards of literacy, how do you expect to command the city as Lord Mayor?” the official asked.
Political observers in Rubaga say this defeat could dent Mahad’s credibility within the party, especially as the NRM is keen on fronting candidates with demonstrable discipline, intellect, and leadership maturity in urban centers where opposition support remains strong.
Mahad, who has been marketing himself as a youth-driven change agent within Kampala, has not issued a formal statement regarding his defeat.
However, sources within his camp indicated growing concern about the viability of his mayoral campaign following Friday’s embarrassing loss.
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