A dispute has erupted between Masaka City Mayor Florence Namayanja and Masaka City Woman MP Justine Nameere Nsubuga over plans to construct a 14.7-billion-shilling city headquarters. The disagreement centres on whether the city should proceed with the planned three-storey administrative complex or redirect the money towards what Nameere, also State Minister for Local Government, considers more urgent public services.
Construction of the headquarters was launched in May at the former Masaka District administrative offices in Kitabiro Cell, Kizungu Ward, Kimanya-Kabonera Division. The project is expected to cost 14.7 billion shillings, with 1.6 billion shillings already available on the city account. The money was raised from the sale of the former Masaka Municipal Council Mayor’s Gardens in 2017.
Mayor Namayanja says the city plans to mobilise the remaining funds through public fundraising and government transfers under the startup funding programme for newly created cities.
However, Nameere has challenged the decision to invest billions of shillings in an administrative complex, arguing that Masaka’s immediate needs lie elsewhere. In a communication to the Mayor and City Clerk, Nameere described the project as illogical at this stage and said she would not be able to defend such expenditure at any forum.
She has instead called for the city to prioritise an improved market for Kimanya-Kabonera Division, a second seed secondary school, additional health facilities and better transport infrastructure. Nameere argues that such investments would have a more direct impact on residents than a large administrative building.
But Namayanja has rejected the proposal, insisting that construction of the headquarters was already identified as one of the city’s priority projects.
She accused Nameere of attempting to frustrate a project that was presented to residents as one of the leadership’s flagship commitments during the election campaign.
“We cannot have a city with an unbefitting headquarters. This is a signature project we fronted to the public while soliciting support to renew our leadership mandate,” Namayanja said.
The Mayor argues that Masaka, with its historical and cultural significance, deserves a modern administrative headquarters that reflects its status as a city.
She has also indicated that the city will not change the approved design in response to Nameere’s concerns.
The disagreement has now spilled into the political relationship between the two leaders.
Namayanja has questioned Nameere’s opposition to the project and referred to the legal challenge surrounding her election as Masaka City Woman MP.
Nameere, a National Resistance Movement candidate, was declared winner after a controversial recount in which the Electoral Commission overturned the earlier victory of National Unity Platform candidate Rose Nalubowa.
A court petition challenging the election remains pending. Namayanja says other elected leaders have supported the headquarters project and accuses Nameere of failing to support a collective vision for the city.
“The rest of us put our political differences aside and agreed to move together and secure this project for the city. We have not stopped her from lobbying for other projects and programmes from government, but she should not interfere with our dream,” Namayanja said.
Nameere, however, maintains that her opposition is not politically motivated.
She says her concern is about the use of public resources and the need to prioritise investments that provide services to a larger section of the population.
She argues that spending heavily on administrative offices risks providing better working conditions for a relatively small number of officials while leaving communities with inadequate public services. Nameere says she will continue presenting her position to higher levels of government for consideration.
The city administration says it needs a permanent and befitting headquarters because several departments are currently operating from old buildings and rented premises.
Some of the buildings being used by the city were left behind by Asians who were expelled from Uganda in 1972, while other departments operate from rented facilities.
Masaka’s original administrative offices were destroyed during the 1979 war that resulted in the overthrow of former President Idi Amin.
City authorities therefore view the new headquarters as an opportunity to address the long-standing accommodation challenges and improve the city’s physical image.
The proposed headquarters is also intended to provide a central administrative complex for the growing city.
The disagreement has now raised a broader question about how Masaka should prioritise its limited resources as it develops into a city. For Namayanja, the headquarters represents a long-term investment and a commitment already made to voters.
Nameere insists that the priority should be projects that immediately improve access to education, healthcare, markets and transport.
The city already has 1.6 billion shillings committed to the project, while the estimated total cost stands at 14.7 billion shillings. The unresolved question is therefore whether Masaka should mobilise the additional 13.1 billion shillings required to complete the headquarters or reconsider the scale and priorities of the project-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
