{"id":108639,"date":"2025-09-03T16:16:20","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T16:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/katabi-mayor-kalema-to-run-as-independent-after-nup-snub"},"modified":"2025-09-03T16:51:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T16:51:18","slug":"katabi-mayor-kalema-to-run-as-independent-after-nup-snub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/katabi-mayor-kalema-to-run-as-independent-after-nup-snub","title":{"rendered":"Katabi Mayor Kalema to Run as Independent after NUP Snub"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Uganda. <\/strong><\/span>Katabi Town Council Mayor Ronald Kalema Basamulekere has announced he will seek re-election as an independent candidate after the National Unity Platform (NUP) denied him the party ticket, a move that underscores growing tensions within the opposition\u2019s vetting process.<\/b><\/p>\n

Kalema, who won the seat in 2021 under the NUP banner, said he was shocked by the decision to drop him despite his loyalty and mobilization record for the party.<\/p>\n

The NUP committee instead awarded its flag to Charles Kalema, setting up a competitive contest that also includes former journalist George William Kakooza, Democratic Party\u2019s Paul Nsubuga, and others.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to believe that even the councilors I mobilized for the party were given tickets, but I was not,\u201d Kalema told journalists.<\/p>\n

He stressed his central role in building NUP in Entebbe, adding, \u201cI have been at the forefront of NUP mobilization, but I believe there was a reason they chose someone else. I will continue mobilizing as usual, but I\u2019m deeply disappointed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kalema dismissed claims that his close coordination with government entities cost him the ticket, branding them \u201cstupid.\u201d<\/p>\n

He argued that leadership requires collaboration with different stakeholders.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who understand leadership know there\u2019s no way to run a public office without cooperating with other entities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Despite the fallout, Kalema struck a confident tone about his re-election bid.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people of Katabi voted for me in 2021, and I believe they will vote for me again,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n

His decision to run independently reflects a wider pattern in Ugandan politics, where candidates denied party endorsement often contest as independents while maintaining rhetorical loyalty to their former parties.<\/p>\n

NUP\u2019s vetting process has previously sparked controversy, with accusations of sidelining grassroots mobilizers in favor of new entrants.<\/p>\n

As the election season gathers pace, Kalema\u2019s defection from the party ticket sets the stage for a dynamic race in Katabi, testing whether incumbency and local support can outweigh the strength of party machinery.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Uganda<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Uganda. Katabi Town Council Mayor Ronald Kalema Basamulekere has announced he will seek re-election as an independent candidate after the National Unity Platform (NUP) denied him the party ticket, a move that underscores growing tensions within the opposition\u2019s vetting process. Kalema, who won the seat in 2021 under the NUP banner, said he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":108638,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[234],"class_list":["post-108639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-uganda"],"yoast_head":"\nKatabi Mayor Kalema to Run as Independent after NUP Snub - Uganda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Katabi Town Council Mayor Ronald Kalema Basamulekere has announced he will seek re-election as an independent candida ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/katabi-mayor-kalema-to-run-as-independent-after-nup-snub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Katabi Mayor Kalema to Run as Independent after NUP Snub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Katabi Town Council Mayor Ronald Kalema Basamulekere has announced he will seek re-election as an independent candida ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/katabi-mayor-kalema-to-run-as-independent-after-nup-snub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Uganda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-03T16:16:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-03T16:51:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2025\/09\/sm_1756905656.122968.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"739\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"415\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/katabi-mayor-kalema-to-run-as-independent-after-nup-snub#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/katabi-mayor-kalema-to-run-as-independent-after-nup-snub\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Katabi Mayor Kalema to Run as Independent after NUP Snub\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-03T16:16:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-03T16:51:18+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/katabi-mayor-kalema-to-run-as-independent-after-nup-snub\"},\"wordCount\":348,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/katabi-mayor-kalema-to-run-as-independent-after-nup-snub#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2025\/09\/sm_1756905656.122968.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"uganda\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/katabi-mayor-kalema-to-run-as-independent-after-nup-snub#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/katabi-mayor-kalema-to-run-as-independent-after-nup-snub\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/katabi-mayor-kalema-to-run-as-independent-after-nup-snub\",\"name\":\"Katabi Mayor Kalema to Run as Independent after NUP Snub - 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