Leaked recordings: Kidandala owns up

By Henry Sekanjako

Kampala City deputy Lord Mayor, Suleiman Kidandala, has acknowledged taking part in leaked tape recordings.

In his defense at a news conference in Kampala on Thursday, Kidandala said he did it for the good of the city and his boss, the embattled Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago.

Kidandala however, denied interacting with any other person in the recordings apart from the Inspector General of Police, Gen. Kale Kayihura.

He also denied asking for any amount of money in his interaction with Kayihura contending that the meeting with the police boss only discussed the cause of the impasse at Kampala city hall between Kampala executive director, Jennifer Musisi and the lord mayor and how it can be avoided.

“I didn’t inform my boss about the meeting and I don’t regret the spirit in which I did what I did. I am more than convinced that I did it for the good of Kampala city and my boss,” said Kidandala.

 “What is wrong with what I told Kayihura? In the recording I was only pinning Musisi, in fact I told the IGP that as long as the elected leaders are denied chance to play their role, there will always be unrest in the city and that the lord mayor was elected but he was being denied a chance to perform his duties,” explained Kidandala.

He stated that his meeting with Kayihura was initiated by the Chief of Defense Forces Gen. Katumba Wamala who called for the meeting to discuss how to stop the unrest in Kampala.  

Kidandala added that prior to the meeting with the two security chiefs; he had received several invites from security circles with offers but had always turned them down.

“I often received many offers from security wanting to know from us what the cause of tension in the city was, I had received several emissaries from Gen Katumba but I turned them down,” he said.

Kidandala however expressed concern over the leaked recordings which he said was fabricated to implicate him.

He said, “In the leaks my voice was captured but I distance myself from other voices in the recordings asking for money, I trust myself and I know what I said, I didn’t ask for sh2m or sh6m. For the 20 years I have been in the struggle I am over and above that, I cannot betray the struggle I have been part of”.

Early this week, Kidandala’s recordings with the IGP went viral accusing him of leaking the lord mayor’s plans to the police.