Mr Moses Batwala, the chairperson LC5 for Jinja district, is in ‘up in harms’ with a local journalist, Clovis Ssematimba over what the local leader terms as malicious unprofessional stories reported about him by the Busoga One FM field reporter.
In a social media viral audio, the furious telephone conversation between the two antagonistic parties, Batwala accuses Sematimba of being unprofessional.
He says the purported chairperson of Kagoma Journalists Association has connived with Batwala’s opponents to disseminate malevolent statements to kill the LCV chairman’s corporate image in the district.
“Stop that familiarity, but I am going to publicly hold you up in arms. I am informed you are a bad man but am going to deal with you,” Batwala fumes on the phone with the embattled journalist.
It is alleged that Ssematimba reported the story of Cadre Abudallah Suuta eyeing for Jinja district top seat when he was accusing Batwala for failing to finish up the district headquarters.
In the alleged report, Suuta claimed that Batwala who in September 2022 asserted that in only two years all district offices and equipment would be at Kagoma where the new Jinja district local government headquarters are established has since almost done nothing.
After being elevated to a city status from Jinja municipal municipality, the greater Jinja district had to relocate its head offices from the city.
But Suuta, who is the chairperson LC3 for Butagaya subcounty, recently expressed concerns, questioning when the district offices will be shifted to the rightful place.
“I tried to call him to give me his side because Suuta was accusing him of refusing to bring his office in the district, yet other offices were shifted. He didn’t pick up my calls, and I failed to get him,” says Ssematimba.
He says the chairperson who obtained the office unopposed in 2021 general elections does not want to comment on stories that are against him.
Ssematimba calls chairman Batwala to admit criticisms as he used o criticize others.
“He used to spread negative energy against the leaders he was opposing in the past, and we reported his news. But he is now not accepting to be criticized,” the reporter added.
He alleges that the vocal chairperson belonging to the National Resistance movement (NRM) has always intimated reporters, including City fm’s Charles Buyinza and Alamanzani Oludu attached to Baba fm.
In the trending audio, the angry Batwala who was instructing the reporter to record the telephone conversation said he is no longer a level of familiarity, threatening violence against the radio personnel.
