By Sadique Bamwita
ENTEBBE
The Newly elected Chairperson for Democratic Party (DP) in Entebbe Municipality, Umar Shafic Serwadda, on April 28, 2025 declared his bid to unseat the incumbent mayor Fabrice Brad Rulinda.
Mayoral hopeful who was once a political assistant to Ex-mayor Vincent De Paul Kayanja says because of the current poor leadership in Entebbe, he has offered himself for mayorship to bring back smiles on the faces of the electorates who are still in pain after their victory was allegedly robbed in 2021 mayoral polls.
However, he says if he loses the party primaries automatically he will support the party flag bearer. During an exclusive interview with this reporter, Mayoral hopeful Umar Shafic Serwadda explained that:
“Because majority of the voters did not vote for the current mayoral leadership, I have observed a big gap between the mayor and the voters, and this has greatly affected service delivery in the past 4years. A lot of taxes are collected in Entebbe but unfortunately there is no value for taxpayers’ money. In the previous regime of mayor Vincent Kayanja , council had an operational account and money saved on this account would be used to fuel council trucks to collect garbage from the communities but when the current leadership took over power the account was closed and garbage collection was privatized to local investors ,’said mayoral hopeful Serwadda.
‘There was a road gang and its primary role was to ensure cleanliness in the town. The team would ensure all drainage systems are clean in addition to clearing all the bushes around roads but when the current leadership assumed office all these programs died a natural death.
‘Most of the technical staff are no longer supervised and that’s the reason they do shoddy work, and to make matters worse majority of them don’t reside in Entebbe hence they don’t have the heart for Entebbe because they are here to make money and invest it elsewhere, ‘Mayoral hopeful Serwadda revealed.
He also expressed concern on lack of transparency in most of government programs citing a list that was recently presented to the general public on the beneficiaries of government programs which he says the beneficiaries don’t exist on the ground.
On the issue of Kitooro market, he said most stalls are empty because there is no Trade Order in Entebbe Municipality arguing that this is why there are so many roadside vendors who compete with market vendors operating within the gazetted markets.
He added that the current leadership gives less priority to tourism yet Entebbe has so many potential tourism sites revealing that the town has the best hotel facilities as opposed to other towns across the country.
He further says that once elected Entebbe mayor, he intends to make unemployment history in Entebbe through skilling women and youths in activities that can enable them earn a livelihood. He noted that he has discovered that most politicians just use the youths during political season, and thereafter dump them and only remember them during another political season.
Who is Shafic Serwadda?
He was born in 1987 to the late Muhammad Ntale Kayayana and Aisha Nabakooza of Mbalwa village, Butenga Sub-county, Bukomansimbi district. He became a total orphan at a very young age following the demise of both his parents and he was raised by good Samaritans who looked after him and his siblings till they all matured. Because he comes from a humble background he was faced with school fees issues and he would change schools like clothes after defaulting them.
He started school at St.Mary’s primary school, then to Nabigobe primary school, then to Mbalwa primary school and thereafter proceeded to Masaka Islamic primary school where he sat his primary leaving examination in 1999. In 2000, he enrolled at Strive academy in Namungona zone, Wakiso district for S.1 but left this school after term one, he joined Entebbe parents’ secondary school for term two and three. In 2001, he joined Kampala secondary school where he studied S.2-S.3. Later he returned to Entebbe parents’ secondary school where he completed both ‘O’ level and ‘A level. He later enrolled at Nkumba University where he pursued a diploma in Public Administration.
His role models
Mayoral hopeful Shafic Serwadda explained that: “I was inspired to join politics from my late mum, a pro-FDC supporter and my father a pro-DP supporter. I was also inspired by the former Entebbe legislator Muhammad Kawuma who recruited many student leaders while I was a student and sanitary prefect at Entebbe parents’ secondary school. During that very time, former mayor Vincent Kayanja would come to our school after lessons and we would accompany him in the field for community sensitization.
“While in the field I gained confidence to speak before the gathering. I was introduced to eminent Democratic Party politicians like Hon. Fred Mukasa Mbidde and Hon. Brenda Nabukenya. They organized for us a seminar at the defunct Entebbe Cinema Hall and they lectured us in Democratic Party ideologies. This seminar laid my political foundation.
‘In 2016, I stood for Entebbe Municipality youth councilor but unfortunately l lost to NRM’S Amir Sekandi but I never lost hope in pursuing my political career. I went on to serve as a political assistant to the former Entebbe Mayor Vincent Kayanja, while with Kayanja , he taught me to lead by example, something that has helped me a lot.
