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Beatrice Nambi, the wife of the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Hon. Norbert Mao, has announced her intention to challenge Erias Lukwago for the Kampala Lord Mayor position in the upcoming elections.
The announcement was made on Monday during a Muslim Iftar dinner she hosted at her Kampala home, which was attended by several ministers, MPs, opposition leaders, and musicians, including singer Eddy Kenzo.
Speaking at the event, Nambi trumped her plans for the race, saying, she hoped to unseat Mr Lukwago, who had held the position since 2011.
Nambi alluded to the last election in 2021 when she was disqualified from the race by the electoral commission and assured supporters that nothing of the sort will happen again.
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At the time, she had returned to Kampala from London where she had separated from her then-husband Martin Kayanja
She immediately launched a campaign bid for the Lord Mayor seat under DP, but because of in-fighting in the party, her candidacy was successfully challenged and the Electoral Commission disqualified her.
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“In 2020/21, they threw me out of the race on the grounds that I was not on the voters’ register,” she said during the dinner.
“When the election ended, I went straight to the Electoral Commission and told them off. We had the matter resolved and now I am back and I am confident that the Kampala Lord Mayor seat will be mine.”
Criticism of Lukwago’s Leadership
Meanwhile, Nambi did not hold back in her criticism of the current Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, accusing him of failing the people of Kampala.
She stated that his tenure had not brought any significant improvement to the city, calling out his lack of vocal leadership and failure to attract foreign investment.
“For the last 15 years, he has done us no good. He is not vocal enough; he has not attracted any foreign investors, and the city is rotten to the core. Kampala needs to be turned into a place that everyone is proud of,” Nambi asserted.
Joins a Growing Field of Candidates
Nambi’s announcement comes after several others have also set their sights on the Lord Mayor’s seat.
Among those expected to run are Fred Nyanzi, the elder brother of NUP President Bobi Wine, and Ali Kasirye Nganda, also known as Mulyanyama, the current Mayor of Makindye Division.