Ssekandi wins battle to host district offices in his village

It is now official: Masaka District’s new headquarters will be built in Kyambazzi Village in the newly created Kyanamukkaka Town Council, as requested by former vice president Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi. According to Local Government Minister Raphael Magyezi, Cabinet recently took the final decision, which is now being enforced through a statutory instrument issued by his ministry. However, this new government position contradicts the Masaka District Council’s June 2021 resolution, which recommended that the district headquarters be constructed at Nkuke Village in Buwunga Sub-county.  That resolution passed with 11 councillors in favour of Nkuke, compared to just five who voted for Kyanamukkaka. The decision angered Mr Ssekandi, who responded by donating 10 acres of land in Kyambazzi Village to host the district headquarters. He processed the land title and handed it over to Minister Magyezi. 

The minister explained that his ministry declined to accept the five acres donated at Nkuke by elder George William Luyimbazi, citing unresolved family land disputes. “We shall also receive the other land donation from Buwunga as soon as the conflict surrounding the land is resolved. We can build schools and a district hospital on that land,” Mr Magyezi said. Despite Mr Ssekandi’s determination to build the district headquarters in his village, district leaders pushed ahead with their plan.  In early 2024, they broke ground at Nkuke Village and vowed to use Shs1 billion, already disbursed by the government, to start construction. Fearing defeat, Mr Ssekandi on June 4, 2025, wrote to President Museveni, urging him to intervene.  

In the letter, a copy of which Daily Monitor has seen, Mr Ssekandi claimed that certain politicians in Masaka were pushing for Nkuke out of selfish interests.  He said that in 2020, while he was still vice president, NRM councillors from Kyanamukkaka and Kyesiiga sub-counties had unanimously resolved to establish the headquarters at Kyambazzi. He expressed shock that Opposition National Unity Platform councillors, who now hold a majority in the district council, had overturned that decision. “However, I have recently learnt with deep concern that there is a renewed push to relocate the headquarters to Buwunga. I am informed that only five acres are being donated at the new site, with the remainder expected to be purchased. This not only contradicts the spirit of the earlier resolution but also imposes unnecessary financial burden on government resources – despite a full, ready and cost-free alternative already existing,” he wrote.

“Your Excellency, this sudden reversal appears to have been driven by political expediency. Following the 2021 General Elections, the newly elected councillors – without due regard to the established 2020 resolution – voted to shift the location away from Kyambazzi,” he added. Currently serving as a special envoy to the President, Mr Ssekandi told Mr Museveni that the new decision was “made in haste and under partisan influence” and disregarded the long-term interests of Masaka residents. “I, therefore, respectfully appeal to you, Your Excellency, to urgently intervene and provide guidance to uphold the original 2020 NRM Council resolution and reaffirm Kyambazzi, Kyanamukkaka as the officially designated site for the Masaka District headquarters.” 

According to Minister Magyezi, district headquarters must be located in an urban centre, which is why Kyanamukkaka was elevated to a town council in a government circular dated July 1, 2025. “The issue of the district headquarters being established in Kyanamukkaka was determined based on various issues, ranging from centrality, adequacy, and ownership of land, among other technical considerations,” he said. Mr Magyezi advised leaders who preferred Nkuke to instead push for Buwunga’s elevation to town council status. “If they wish to have Buwunga considered for town council status, they can go through the right procedures and seek elevation,” he added.

Local reactions

Residents of Kyanamukkaka welcomed the news with enthusiasm. Mr Gerevazio Ssenyonga praised the decision. “This area is ideal to host the district headquarters. It has parishes with several landing sites that can support the local revenue base,” he said.  “We’re going to see improved infrastructure—health centres, schools, hotels, and recreational facilities—which will improve life here,” he added. Mr Kizito Kawonawo, another resident, hailed Mr Ssekandi’s gesture of donating land. “This is a great act of legacy. When Masaka Municipality was being elevated to city status, some politicians wanted areas like Kyanamukkaka and Buwunga to be annexed to the city,” he said. “Ssekandi strongly opposed this, knowing that it would dissolve Masaka District. Thanks to his efforts, both the city and district still exist,” he added. He also said Mr Ssekandi had persuaded the President to tarmac the road connecting Masaka City to the new headquarters. “This is what a senior citizen should be remembered for,” he said.

Opposition from council

Despite the Cabinet decision, the Masaka District Speaker, Mr Francis Kimuli, maintains that the minister overstepped his mandate by disregarding the council’s resolution. “The land at Nkuke is in the name of the district, and we already secured a title from the family of the late George Mukasa. I really don’t know why Mr Ssekandi is fighting tooth and nail to have the headquarters in his backyard,” Mr Kimuli said. Mr Kimuli insisted that the district leadership would seek legal redress. “He [Ssekandi] may have won the battle, but the war is still on. We’ll meet in court,” he vowed.

Background

Masaka Town was elevated to city status on July 1, 2020, requiring the district headquarters, formerly within the city centre, to be relocated outside city boundaries, per local government policy. Currently, Masaka District offices are scattered. Several departments, including health, finance, and education, operate from buildings owned by the Buganda Kingdom in Saaza, a suburb of Masaka City. Others, including the offices of the district chairperson and vice chairperson, are located in Kitabiro, about two kilometres away. In a past interview, Mr Ssekandi said Kyanamukkaka was the most culturally and geographically central location in Masaka.“There is no doubt that our people will easily access services from the centre of the district, which is Kyanamukkaka, more than any other place,” he said.