Sematimba's campaign was funded by Janet Museveni

Information obtained by Radio Katwe on Sunday reveals that the runner-up in the Kampala mayoral race, Peter Sematimba, received the bulk of his financing for the campaign from the First Lady, Janet Museveni.

The election was won by the former Mayor, Nasser Ntege Sebaggala. But in an interview with the Sunday Monitor of March 12, 2006, Sematimba sounded confident that he will be Mayor - soon.

If Sematimba's confidence is anything to go by, Sebaggala had better watch his back because the state is going to maneouvre events to make sure that he is ousted again.

Sematimba, who is in his late 40s but does not like to give his age publicly, returned from the United States in 1993 and staying there for 14 years.

He became a popular DJ and music producer in Kampala with his "Dungeon Studios." He now owns Super FM, a mainly Luganda language station based in Rubaga.

Many people, more so the elite of Uganda, saw him as the most progressive candidate when he announced that he would contest the Mayoral seat. From a purely technical point of view, Sematimba was the better man to lift Kampala City out of the "dungeon" it is in now, but his political choices seem to have him on the "dodgy" side of the political divide.

Most analysts believe that Sematimba would have beaten Sebaggala, but because of the massive rigging that retained President Yoweri Museveni in power for another term, the public in Kampala was so disgusted that they voted in protest against anything NRM by voting for Sebaggala.

But now that they find out who really financed the Sematimba campaign, many will feel vindicated they did not vote for Sematimba.

Sematimba took the position of an independent when he contested the race. Sebaggala was definitely opposition/DP and there was an NRM candidate, Wilson Kyambadde, the husband of Amelia Kyambadde, the Principal Private Secretary to President Museveni.

It would have been natural for Janet Museveni to fund and support the NRM candidate for Mayor, not so?

But then, as Radio Katwe reported in the second week of February, there are other issues here. Amelia Kyambadde is more than Museveni's long-term aide and Principal Private Secretary today. The President sleeps with Mrs. Kyambadde.

This is something that drives the First Lady mad but she can't do anything about it. The only time she acted that we know, she hatched a plan to murder Amelia but Amelia fled to exile in London, only to return a few years ago.

So as soon as it was announced that Amelia's husband would be the NRM candidate for Kampala Mayor, Janet Museveni had to do everything to see that Wilson Kyambadde was not elected, but she could not support Sebaggala the DP man.

Could Janet Museveni have funded Sematimba as a way of hitting back at Amelia Kyambadde?

At any rate, Sematimba, the "born again" but crafty man with a sometimes questionable ethical record (the sordid details of which radio Katwe.com has chosen not to reveal now) became Janet Museveni's choice.

Janet Museveni is going to use her power and connections to try and bring Sebaggala down. That is the reason why Sematimba is so confident he will be Mayor very soon.