Born in 1984, Kawalya lost his father Hajji Sulaiman Ssempagala in 1990 – at the age of six. More trouble would also come his way three years later when he lost his mother Hafusa Nakabugo.

“But with the support of my other family members, I decided to keep my dreams alive,” says Kawalya, his face somewhat contorting in reminiscence.

One of those people who helped him, as well as his siblings, stay in school was his uncle who stays in Sheema District’s Itendero Town in western Uganda. It was here that the youthful Councilor, who will turn 36 at the end of June, had his upper primary education, sitting his Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) at Itendero Primary School in 1998. Earlier, he had gone to Kasubi Modern Primary School for his lower primary education.

He would later proceed to Hawa SS, Naluvule in Wakiso District for his secondary education, completing his O-level schooling in 2002, and earning his Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) two years later. It was at this school that the Mayoral Speaker hopeful started whetting his leadership skills, serving as Information, and later Academic Affairs Prefect.

For his university education, Kawalya made it to Makerere, Uganda’s oldest and largest higher learning institution. Here, he juggled his Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences (BASS) course with his role in promoting FDC at the university, working in key positions such as Secretary General of the party’s committee at the institution. Majoring in Sociology and minoring in Gender Studies, Kawalya did not only leave Makerere with a second-class upper degree but had also gained more political and administrative skills by the time he graduated in 2009.

Upon graduation, he briefly worked as General Manager at Nakigalala Mixed Farm Limited before diving into Kampala’s political waters. Standing on FDC ticket for the Rubaga LCV Councilor position in 2010, Kawalya came second to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Godrey Asiimwe.

Before returning to contest for the same seat in 2015, Kawalya joined colleagues to found a consultancy firm dealing in architectural and structural works, land surveying, construction management and real estate development.

Five years after losing to Asiimwe, Kawalya turned lucky in 2015, beating 13 candidates with a huge margin.

A smile lingering on his face, the councilor says the lessons he learnt from his 2010 councilor bid had helped him win the same seat in 2015.

“I lost in 2010 because I jumped into Kampala politics when I didn’t know how to relate well in politics,” he recalls, then adds: “I also had no resources and had not done enough research. But when I contested in 2015, I was very able and had some resources.”

Once in the KCCA Council, Kawalya served as head of the Standing Committee on Physical Planning for two years starting in 2016, as well as on the Engineering and Technical Services Committee for which he has served as Chairperson since 2018.

Married to two wives, Hajj Kawalya is father to five children. In his free time, you can find him watching soccer. He is a proud supporter of Uganda’s SC Villa and English Premier League side Manchester United. Apart from pork and beer, which his faith forbids, all you might need to serve the Councilor when he pays you a visit is Ugandan food.