The current Minister for Works and Transport, Mr Fred Byamukama, should have reason to worry about his position should residents of Kakumiro succeed in their push to meet the President.
More than 800 people from Kakumiro have intensified efforts to secure an audience with the President, and their main agenda is to tell him directly why they are unhappy with the Minister of Works and Transport.
The main disappointment of the locals, which they want to present to the President with evidence, concerns how Mr Bright Alinda was arrested in June 2025 following an alleged connivance between the minister, Kakumiro Police CID and the then Resident State Attorney, who charged Bright Alinda with defilement. The case was dismissed by court because the State Attorney and police had allegedly used forged documents to implicate Alinda.
(Here, there are allegations of forgery, false imprisonment and abuse of office.) Locals say this was done out of fear that Bright Alinda was going to contest against Mr Byamukama in the NRM party primaries for Bugangaizi West Constituency. Because of his detention, Bright Alinda missed the NRM primaries, and you were declared unopposed. Is that not corruption?
They also revealed that in December 2025, Mr Fred, with the alleged invisible help of the former Speaker of Parliament, caused the Electoral Commission to disqualify Kisembo James Wakame from the parliamentary election for Bugangaizi West Constituency.
Kisembo James Wakame appealed to the High Court, but because the Electoral Commission under Simon Byabakama was allegedly part of the connivance, this caused delays in releasing the ruling to Kisembo James.
Consequently, the court reportedly ruled that his appeal was time-barred. You were later declared unopposed by the Electoral Commission even before Kisembo James received the ruling. Is that not corruption?
Between December 2025 and July 2026, the locals also said the minister allegedly diverted Ministry of Works and Transport road equipment for his private use in his village of Rutoma to carry out bush clearing.
They also said they want to tell the President how Mr Fred allegedly diverted resources and constructed a tarmac road leading to his residence in Kikwaya Trading Centre between 2024 and 2025.
They also want to reveal to the President that Mr Fred allegedly forged documents to acquire land in Nyansimbi Village, where he claimed to be a surviving relative of one Kalemba Yowana, yet he does not belong to that family.
Another issue disappointing the locals is a forgery case at Hoima High Court, registered as Civil Suit No. 108 of 2023.
The community also wants to bring to the attention of the President the complaints of the family of Kalemba Yowana, which alleges that it lost Shs65 million that it was supposed to receive as compensation for road construction, but which was allegedly taken by Mr Fred.
The writer is a veteran journalist.
