At exactly 9:50 am on December 28, 2018, Suleiman Ogajjo Barasa, the Resident District Commissioner of Mbale District left his Office at the Regional Block and drove to North Road Primary School. He later at 10:50 am held a crisis meeting after a section of Mbale Municipal Council Councilors had mooted plans to sell off part of the land belonging to the school to unknown investors by then.
Using this meeting, Ogajjo warned a section of land grabbers who had made it a routine of grabbing especially government land, that he would send them to hell, he was just months in the Office, and he afterward conducted numerous operations.
In a short period of time, Ogajjo hoped to “clean Mbale and make it a corruption-free area, proper service delivery and turn in yellow.” He was brought down.
After the heated 2021 polls, Ogajjo was sent to Namayingo, where he later met his untimely death while an equally aggressive NRM staunch member Ahamada Washaki the then RDC of Manafwa District replaced him.
Washaki was known for his vocal statements on local radio stations, he had once been quoted saying that there was nothing like People Power Movement in the Bugisu region, especially Manafwa where he was taking.
14 months later, Washaki was last week transferred to Kumi district, his leadership as the Mbale Resident City Commissioner has been highly reflected in a Facebook Page which has never criticized him no matter what.
In 14 months, Washaki Hass had his highs and lows, a few days after speaking to his top critic, Arajab Wampula, one of our Mbale Regional Reporters said to numerous residents across the City.
On service delivery, he is ranked higher than his predecessor but on political matters, he is down, for elites we spoke to, Washaki was nothing but a beast, a dictator.
Moses Toli is a resident of Nakaloke Town Council, he has lived in this place since 2010.
“I have never seen a leader like him,” he says,
“Unlike the previous RDCs, he has tried to respond to local issues,” he adds, as he shakes his head,
“But this world, I wonder those that are near the President, Maybe they enjoy Ill practices,” he notes
Toli is not alone, in Nkoma trading Centre I met Sofia a charcoal dealer. She too knows Washaki,
“What I can say about him is that he is a good man, I have never personally interfaced with him but I hear him on Radios sensitizing us about government programs,” she says
“I didn’t know that he is transferred, oh no that’s bad news for us,” she added
We spoke to over 50 residents and about 10 perceived elites in Mbale City,
“Last time, they conducted an operation that saw the arrest of several members of youth gangs that were terrorizing us,” Ayub, a resident of Kiteso Cell in Namakwekwe Ward, Northern Division said,
“I can reliably inform you that we shall cry again, I don’t know why but still wondering why he has been transferred at a time when Operations against gangs have been intensified,
The majority of the locals we spoke to believe that Washaki has been transferred because of the witch-hunt of the people, they described as Mafias,
“Mafias are in Mbale,” one Moreen Wanyenze, a mobile money operator at Republic street said,
“Otherwise he has done some commendable job although we can’t rule out his shortcomings,
Until 2020, Dennis Mafabi a Boda Boda rider in the City says they were facing extortions.
“Guys could just arrest us and charge us between Shs20,000 to Shs40,000 moreover without even giving you a receipt, as a person I thank Washaki that this has been solved,” he said
Like Wanyenze, Busiku Swaibu a popular Radio Presenter at 93.1 IUIU FM believes that Mafias are behind Washaki’s unwanted exit.
“He must have shaken some tables, having drunk of Mafias,”
“Remember he was engaged in serious wars especially land and you know issues of land in the Cities,” he added.
Busiku’s remarks remind us of the severe war the RCC underwent with the administration of Nakaloke Town Council.
It took Hon Rafael Magyezi, the Minister of Local Governments ad his then counterpart Ogwang the then State Minister of Monitoring in the Office of the President who convened a meeting that saved the land that had been grabbed by the City tycoon.
“And you know how rich people operate,”
Despite the praises from a section of his subjects, not all were happy,
Rogers Wandulu, a marketer at Elgon Coffee in Bugisu Cooperative Union (BCU) is a hereditary enemy of Washaki.
On Thursday last week told DaParrot that Washaki’s exit was wanting.
Unlike others who agree that he has indeed led with humility, Wandulu says no.
“He has not been socialized with people. Leadership demands humility with the people u serve,”
“We have been following up. He is not a good guy. Bye-bye to him,” he added.
In what appears as a direct response to Wandulu, Rashid Kabigi, an Editor at IUIU FM says Good leaders are never appreciated by their own people.
Referring to the Prophet of God, Kabigi said
“When prophet Muhammad received revelation, his own people of Makka rejected him and chased him out of Makka. The Madina people understood his good, they invited him, pledged allegiance to him and he established leadership that saved the world from darkness,” he said adding,
“So it is just usual for a human being to reject their own. We pray Kumi to become the Madina to mze Washaki,”
Others took it on their Facebook pages to heap praises on Washaki among these was: Lydia Nabude, who said,
“He was still doing, I wish they had brought him to soronko and he disciplines them,”
Paul Wamboko said, “This man did a lot for the city but Africans will always remain Africans. An African will never appreciate,”
Like Wamboko, Farouk Bumba said, NRM doesn’t appreciate development.
“Why transfer such a good cadre? He was doing a good job in Mbale city-Yaka Ways.
We will surely miss him, non-tribalism, hard-working, transparency, devoted man of the common people His shoes will be hard to fit in my the incoming,”
Thank you the people of Mbale City with whom we fought all sorts of corruption, ie land grabbing, extortion, harassing bodaboda riders who were innocent, malpractices in our health facilities, criminals, etc. This has given me a milestone in the performance of my duties.
I want also to thank H. E the President, Gen Y T K Museveni for trusting me with the responsibilities that have put me on the front line of protecting the common man and woman who suffer at the hands of the corrupt.
As I move to Kumi I pledge to remain on course by being loyal to H. E the President and tackling any form of corruption that may come to my attention.
