NRM-Backed Kampala Central Mayor Takes Charge of President Museveni’s 79th Birthday Preparations

Kampala, Uganda | The Black Examiner – The Mayor of Kampala Central, holding allegiance to the NRM party, has taken the lead, along with the National Chairperson’s office headed by Hajjati Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye, in orchestrating the upcoming 79th birthday celebrations of President Museveni.

The festivities are scheduled for September 15th at the Kololo Air Strip, with an expected attendance of at least 100,000 Ugandans, as announced by the National Chairperson Coordinator, Hadija Namyalo Uzeiye, during a Tuesday press conference in Kampala.

According to Uzeiye, “The overarching theme of the birthday festivities revolves around ‘Celebrating Jjaja: Lessons From the Battles of Katonga.'”

The event aims to accomplish several objectives, including shedding light on Jjaja’s life and his role in revolutionary struggles, focusing on the broader African struggle for significant change encompassing youth and women, honoring our leaders and instilling hope, and gleaning insights from the historic battles of Katonga, which unfolded from September to November 1985. These battles saw the forces led by Gen Salim Saleh capturing the western end of the Katonga bridge in September 1985, as the NRA laid siege to Masaka and Mbarara. Namyalo provided this account.

With the surrender of Masaka’s UNLA forces in late November 1985, the stage was set for the final push to seize Kampala in January 1986, Namyalo recounted.

She further elucidated that the birthday celebration would bring together a diverse array of participants, including Katonga veterans and their descendants, national political figures, religious and cultural leaders, diplomats, youth and student representatives, leaders from the Kampala metropolitan area, market vendors, and members of the transportation sector, among others.

Ndiyo Jackson, the youth chairperson from Katonga in Kyegegwa, emphasized that the celebrations also serve to validate the memory of Katonga’s people, much like the recognition granted to the Luweero Triangle, as their relatives significantly contributed to the liberation struggle.

In light of this, Ndiyo underscored the importance of infrastructural development in the region, improved healthcare services, enhanced security, and better education.

Ndiyo further urged the youth to shift from a mindset of dependency to one of innovation, encouraging them to tackle unemployment and present their ideas to the president for support.

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