Kutesa the politician and mentor

Any mention of rich politicians in this country will not skip the name Sam Kutesa. In fact the Minister of Foreign Affairs is usually rumoured to be involved in every kind of lucrative deal.

He also belongs to a group of people who are close to the President. His critics allege that Kutesa has a sharp sense for money so much that he never fails to know when and where the deal is cooking. Secondly, back at home in Sembabule, Kutesa's name is cited whenever the local politics is discussed.

Recently court nullified an election of one politician in Sembabule. Kutesa was cited in the involvement in the electoral mess. Amidst all these accusations, Kutesa remains a quiet man. He rarely speaks especially to the press.

Because of this controversial lifestyle, Grapevine recently sought some tit bits about Kutesa. Here are the findings: Kutesa is indeed a moneyman. He loves money. He is also a ladies man. Contrary to the public belief that Kutesa is a mafia, Sam is actually loved by many politicians both in power and in the opposition. It is said Kutesa is one NRM guru who was once in DP but has still remained in touch with his former DP friends. Sometimes he financially bails out his DP friends. "Once he is your friend, Kutesa will not let you down. Outside politics, Kutesa is a nice guy," an opposition official told Grapevine.

Other than his flooding wealth, Kutesa is said to be generous to the extent that many businessmen in Kampala have made progress in their trade because of his support.

Political differences
Grapevine was told that in Sembabule, Kutesa is however a bitter man. Reason? That he helped several young politicians to come up only for them to turn against him.
Rumours abound that Kutesa financed Herman Sentongo to become the first chairman of Uganda National Youth Council.

But today, Sentongo is at the forefront fighting Kutesa.
The worst is that the political differences between Kutesa and others in Sembabule have taken a tribal dimension. "Whoever fails to pay back Kutesa's good gesture simply tells the population that Banyankore are taking their land. Because land is sensitive, many people have believed the propaganda," a source said.

Grapevine has also learnt that in Sembabule, instead of giving personal accountability, local politicians are only blowing the tribal trumpets to keep the population away from demanding individual accountability from leaders.