“We Only Hear About Him When He Has Stolen” — Karamoja Delegates Reject Basajjabalaba’s Bid for NRM Entrepreneurs League Chair

Moroto, Uganda – Delegates from the Karamoja sub-region have added their voices to the growing wave of rejection against Hajj Hassan Basajjabalaba who is seeking to become the next Chairman of the NRM Entrepreneurs League on the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC).

Like their Busoga counterparts, Karamoja delegates say they will “turn the tables” on August 25th insisting that Basajjabalaba is a man of no service, no vision and no integrity.

In a press briefing held in Moroto, delegates questioned the legitimacy of his candidacy, accusing him of abandoning the business community, failing to offer any tangible support to entrepreneurs, and using his position only to enrich himself, his family, and “his people from Ishaka.”

“Where was he when our mothers were boiling wild leaves and our children were surviving on insects?” asked Lopei Ananget, a delegate from Nakapiripirit. “We have lived through hunger, poverty, and insecurity. Our businesses collapse every season. But this man has never opened his mouth to speak for us. The only time we hear about him is when he has stolen again.”

Karamoja, one of Uganda’s most economically challenged regions, has long struggled with lack of access to credit, limited markets, and extreme poverty. Delegates say that for the past five years, Basajjabalaba has been completely absent from the region’s struggles, yet now resurfaces with a fake manifesto seeking a fresh mandate.

“He gave us a document with promises five years ago and disappeared. No follow-up, no outreach, no loan programs. Now he is back with the same empty words,” said David Lokol, a delegate from Kaabong District. “We are not fools. We want a servant, not a parasite.”

Delegates ridiculed his attempt to masquerade as a national entrepreneur yet offer no clear trail of empowerment across the regions.

“What has he ever done for the NRM Entrepreneurs League? What affordable financing has he brought? What incubation centers has he built? What voice has he raised in Parliament or media on our behalf?” posed Namusisi Akol, an NRM delegate from Kotido. “Zero. He has used the league as a cover to loot from the taxpayer.”

Some also alluded to his tainted record, including the infamous Shs 142 billion compensation scandal, multiple forgery cases, and his recent removal from leadership at the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council following accusations of abusing office.

“He is not fit to represent any struggling entrepreneur. He is a deal-maker, not a servant. He takes from the public and hides behind institutions,” said John Bosco Lokwale, an elder delegate from Moroto Municipality. “We will not bless that kind of leadership again.”

With Busoga and now Karamoja publicly distancing themselves from Basajjabalaba, the mood within the NRM Entrepreneurs League is clearly shifting.

“This time we are turning the tables,” said Rebecca Achia, a youth entrepreneur from Amudat. “We want someone who knows what it means to build from scratch. Someone who can fight for affordable loan schemes, for rural capital access, and small traders. Not someone who only knows how to fight for more compensation from government.”

As the countdown to the NRM Entrepreneurs League elections continues, the chorus of rejection is growing louder. From Busoga to Karamoja, delegates are calling for a clean break from impunity and a return to servant leadership.

“Let him go back to Ishaka,” said one delegate. “We are done being used.”