Nadduli, a controversial, charismatic politician
Mar 19, 2006
WHEN he first contested for the Luweero LC5 seat in 1998, Al-Hajji Abdul Nadduli, among other things, promised to make man-made lakes in the district so that residents could get cheap fish.
By Vision Reporter
WHEN he first contested for the Luweero LC5 seat in 1998, Al-Hajji Abdul Nadduli, among other things, promised to make man-made lakes in the district so that residents could get cheap fish.
The promise earned him criticism from his opponents who accused him of being “utopian.†Nevertheless, Nadduli beat his three rivals with 24,030 votes.
His rivals included Ignatius Koomu, Bwanika Bbaale and the then incumbent Deo Nsereko. The triumphant Nadduli, hitherto an LC5 councillor, said the election achievement was not a surprise.
“I knew I would win because of my reputation for discipline and honesty,†Nadduli said.
Although Nadduli did not make the lakes as he promised, he bounced back in 2002, after defeating his arch-rival Ignatius Koomu for the second time.
Perhaps Nadduli, whose 10-year tenure of office is soon coming to an end, will mostly be remembered for his controversial call to the people to produce more children.
But the former guerrilla fighter, whom the Electoral Commission disqualified from the race due to lack of academic papers, has also been one of the most courageous and charismatic politicians during the NRM era.
His fans say he has been a well-informed comedian who gave rumbling speeches on air and at public gatherings. To his critics, however, Nadduli has been a rigid politician who spent more time talking than working.
Nadduli, a former NRM liberation fighter, has remained loyal to the system, although he has sometimes openly criticised some of its policies.
He has also been accused of being non-tolerant of his critics, especially those whom he suspected of siding with his political opponents. It is for this reason that he fell out with several politicians in the district.
Born to Ali Nadduli on December 22, 1942 in Kapeeka, Nadduli’s educational background is as controversial as his life. He says he attended several schools including Kabasanda Muslim Primary School in Mpigi, the East African Commercial School in Kampala and Makerere Centre for Continuing Education after which he resorted to teaching.
Nadduli says he first joined politics in 1979 with the advent of the UNLF and served as a village chairman in Makulubita.
He later joined the NRA forces where he served as a recruitment officer, herbal doctor and political leader during the protracted war of the 1980s.
After the war, Nadduli says he briefly worked as a political commissar in the then NRA 14th battalion at Bombo. He later worked in the Mpigi RDC’s office.
In 1989, he left office work for local politics in the district, starting as an LC1 chairman and later LC5 Secretary for Mobilisation.
In a bid to remain on the political scene, Nadduli contested for the Katikamu Constituent Assembly race in 1994 but lost to Bwanika Bbaale.
Nadduli’s weaknesses notwithstanding, he has made more friends than enemies. When he finally bows out of office, Nadduli, who is non-committal on what he intends to do, will remain an indispensable mobiliser both to the Movement Government and the Buganda kingdom.
Ends
WHEN he first contested for the Luweero LC5 seat in 1998, Al-Hajji Abdul Nadduli, among other things, promised to make man-made lakes in the district so that residents could get cheap fish.
The promise earned him criticism from his opponents who accused him of being “utopian.†Nevertheless, Nadduli beat his three rivals with 24,030 votes.
His rivals included Ignatius Koomu, Bwanika Bbaale and the then incumbent Deo Nsereko. The triumphant Nadduli, hitherto an LC5 councillor, said the election achievement was not a surprise.
“I knew I would win because of my reputation for discipline and honesty,†Nadduli said.
Although Nadduli did not make the lakes as he promised, he bounced back in 2002, after defeating his arch-rival Ignatius Koomu for the second time.
Perhaps Nadduli, whose 10-year tenure of office is soon coming to an end, will mostly be remembered for his controversial call to the people to produce more children.
But the former guerrilla fighter, whom the Electoral Commission disqualified from the race due to lack of academic papers, has also been one of the most courageous and charismatic politicians during the NRM era.
His fans say he has been a well-informed comedian who gave rumbling speeches on air and at public gatherings. To his critics, however, Nadduli has been a rigid politician who spent more time talking than working.
Nadduli, a former NRM liberation fighter, has remained loyal to the system, although he has sometimes openly criticised some of its policies.
He has also been accused of being non-tolerant of his critics, especially those whom he suspected of siding with his political opponents. It is for this reason that he fell out with several politicians in the district.
Born to Ali Nadduli on December 22, 1942 in Kapeeka, Nadduli’s educational background is as controversial as his life. He says he attended several schools including Kabasanda Muslim Primary School in Mpigi, the East African Commercial School in Kampala and Makerere Centre for Continuing Education after which he resorted to teaching.
Nadduli says he first joined politics in 1979 with the advent of the UNLF and served as a village chairman in Makulubita.
He later joined the NRA forces where he served as a recruitment officer, herbal doctor and political leader during the protracted war of the 1980s.
After the war, Nadduli says he briefly worked as a political commissar in the then NRA 14th battalion at Bombo. He later worked in the Mpigi RDC’s office.
In 1989, he left office work for local politics in the district, starting as an LC1 chairman and later LC5 Secretary for Mobilisation.
In a bid to remain on the political scene, Nadduli contested for the Katikamu Constituent Assembly race in 1994 but lost to Bwanika Bbaale.
Nadduli’s weaknesses notwithstanding, he has made more friends than enemies. When he finally bows out of office, Nadduli, who is non-committal on what he intends to do, will remain an indispensable mobiliser both to the Movement Government and the Buganda kingdom.
Ends