Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine’s henchman and also the National Unity Platform(NUP) deputy spokesperson Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro has narrated how JEEMA has been severally used to weaken their party and their principal.

A tough speaking Mufumbiro revealed that JEEMA top leadership decided to corporate with Dr. Kizza Besigye and his team under their political pressure group the People’s Front for Transition (PFT) whose aim is to weaken NUP but they will not be successfully because people have already trusted Bobi Wine to liberate the country from what he termed as dictatorial regime under President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

He wondered how the ‘bad hearted’ JEEMA top leadership could plan to pull down Bobi Wine when he single handedly helped them to secure a slot in parliament and join IPOD.

“When Basalirwa stood for Bugiri Municipality by election, all known opposition players abandoned him. I remember very well FDC was supporting their own party candidate Eunice Namatende, and I remember I was seated with Bobi Wine and he asked me why people in the opposition are not supporting Basalirwa when he has been a very active in political activities in the opposition. He made a number of consultations including meeting some elders in the Muslim community who directed him to make sure that he delivers victory for Basalirwa,” Mufumbiro said when appeared on Pearl FM radio on Tuesday.

He added that at his first political rally in Bugiri, Basalirwa’s car was stoned by angry youths who were trying to warn Bobi Wine that he was campaigning for a hypocrite.

Mufumbiro added that other members of the opposition were asking Bobi Wine why he was campaigning for a failure.

He narrated that the next day, Bobi Wine, his friend Nubian Li secretly went deep in the ghettos of Bugiri and started interacting with the youths in the ghetto  to know why they are fighting Basalirwa, he used his gheto influence to convince them to join Basalirwa’s campaign team.

He recounted that by then, Basalirwa had already lost hope of winning the by election but he was very surprised when he later got a huge crowd when he was campaigning with Bobi Wine and later won the by election.

He said that on the eve of the election, Mufumbiro and other Bobi Wine people were detained in police cells for four days and were released after Basalirwa was announced the winner.

He explained that with all the above explanation, it was in bad faith for JEEMA Secretary General to write a public demining letter to Bobi Wine over his comments on a BBC interview with Hardtalk host Stephen Sackur.

“Mr. Sentamu, you have the right to support homosexuality, without demonising your fellow leaders who have treated you with respect since they came to know you,” Basalirwa’s letter reads in parts.

He further asked him to retract the accusations against fellow opposition leaders.

However, Mufumbiro told JEEMA leadership to understand that Bobi Wine is an international leader who has the obligation to fight for all people’s human rights including the homosexuals.

He added that it is an open secret that the homosexuality law was brought to target Bobi Wine and confirmed that there are opposition legislators in parliament who are in bed with President Museveni’s government.

The nonsense Mufumbiro blasted Bobi Wine attackers on the issue of opposition legislators working with Museveni and named people like Dr. Twaha Kagabo and Jimmy Lwanga who openly declared their support to MK Movement a political pressure group establish to mobilize support for Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

In the BBC interview, Bobi Wine alleged that some of his NUP party legislators are in bed with President Museveni and it is the reason why they voted for the passing of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

It should be remembered that NUP’s Medard Lubega Ssegona, the Busiro East legislator is the one who seconded the motion to table the Anti-Homosexuality Bill and all NUP legislators including the Leader of Opposition in Parliament Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba supported the motion.

When given the opportunity to comment on the matter on the floor of parliament, Basalirwa said that he is very proud of moving the motion which resulted in the Anti-Homosexuality Act claiming that the Act is very popular in the public domain.

He denied the allegation that he drove the bill because of the invisible hand behind it as Bobi Wine claims and that the bill was brought to fight him because of his friendship with the gay people.

Annet Anita Among, the Speaker of parliament, assured the public that no one will threaten Uganda to change its stand on homosexuals.

The Act was challenged in the Constitutional Court by human rights activists including veteran journalist Andrew Mwenda.

By Sengooba Alirabaki

Furious Kampala Lord Mayor Ssalongo Erias Lukwago has threatened to break the legs of Kawempe Division mayor Emmanuel Sserunjogi Oweddembe over Kampala Lord mayoral seat.

Sserunjogi is among the aspirants who have shown interest to contest for the position that Lukwago has held for three terms (since 2011).

Sserunjogi is clandestinely mobilizing for the ticket from his party the National Unity Platform (NUP).

However, he has to face stiff competition for NUP ticket from Makindye Division mayor Ali Kasirye Mulyanyama and Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu’s elder brother Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu alias chairman Nyanzi.

Others who are pondering joining the race include former Makindye East legislator Ibrahim Kasozi, Kampala Central legislator Muhammad Nsereko and former Makindye East legislator Michael Mabikke, Kampala Central Division mayor Salim Uhuru and others.

Recently a tough Lukwago told a journalist to deliver information to Sserujogi that if doesn’t stop his hypocrisy he is going to be badly beaten and his legs will be broken.

Omuloodi claims that Sserunjogi has always been cited sneaking into City Hall in cahoots with Kampala affairs State Minister Joseph Kabuye Kyofatogabye.

He claims that Sserunjogi is among cartel that is set to benefit from the Shs250bn which was allocated to help in the rehabilitation of city roads that are in bad condition.

Lukwago boasted of how they forced Kyofatogabye out of City Hall to the extent that he now even fears to pass around the Lord Mayor’s office.

When we contacted Sserunjogi, he declined to comment on the matter.

However theGrapevine established that there is an ongoing campaign within NUP top party leadership not to buy the idea of cooperating with FDC Katonga faction come 2026.

By Grapevine reporter

Highly placed sources within the National Unity Platform (NUP) headquarters at Makerere Kavule have revealed to mighty Grapevine that all indicators show that their principal Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) is not going to extend the tenure of Mathias Mpuuga as the Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LOP).

Mpuuga’s two and half years term is ending this December and sources disclosed that Bobi Wine will soon instruct the party Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya to communicate to the Speaker of Parliament Annet Anita Among the party’s new leadership in parliament which is going to command their troops.

Sources divulged that there has been stiff competition between Mpuuga, Butambala county legislator Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, Opposition Chief Whip  John Baptist Nambeshe and Nakawa West’s Joel Ssenyonyi.

However the current indicators show that Nambeshe is highly favoured and may take the day.

“Even in 2021, Bobi Wine wanted to appoint Nambeshe, he never trusted those people from the Democratic Party (DP) but he was under pressure from those people at Mengo (Buganda Kingdom Leadership). Others said that Nambeshe could not be trusted because he was new and had just crossed from President Museveni’s NRM. They allged that this meant that he was not yet tested. They even warned the Principal that Nambeshe can sell their party leadership in parliament to Museveni. That is why he decided to appoint Mpuuga who some now claim has betrayed him,” a NUP insider said.

This insider based his argument on the recent statements Bobi Wine made in an interview with BBC in London that a number of his party Members of Parliament are working with  and for President Museveni.

First were allegations that Mpuuga led negotiations with President Museveni’s government that led to the release of legislators Muhammad Ssegirinya and Allan Ssewanyana from prison after they were detained for two years on murder, terrorism and attempted murder charges.

Bobi Wine was also shocked to learn that the opposition leadership in parliament were aware of the alleged Shs40m given to each Member of Parliament (including NUP legislator) thanking them which many alleged was a bribe from the sitting government.

Sources said that to protect his diaspora supporters who fund many of their political activities in NUP, Bobi Wine decided to drop Mpuuga because most of the party leadership in the Diaspora are not happy with him and are alleging that he is in bed with NRM leadership in parliament.

Sources added that the reason why Bobi Wine traveled with Nambeshe to United Kingdom where he has spent over ten years without stepping foot because of his anti-gay activism is an indicator that the man from Bugishu may fall into things very soon.

Earlier, Bobi Wine assigned Nambeshe to start receiving application from opposition legislators who want to apply for different positions in parliament.

In United Kingdom, Bobi Wine, Nambeshe, Barbra Itungo Kyagulanyi held private meetings with a number of politicians in Britain and other leaders from NUP Diaspora. He later traveled to German.

However, theGrapevine has established that Bobi Wine is under pressure from a section of Muslim leaders who are complaining over his decision not to appoint Kivumbi as the next Leader of Opposition in Parliament.

Sources said that recently, Bobi Wine explained to a few of them on phone that his goal is to first silence those people accusing his party of being the new Kabaka Yekka party.

He promised to compensate them by appointing Kivumbi as the Opposition Chief Whip in parliament replacing Nambeshe.

“This is our time, Bobi Wine seems to have betrayed us. Does he think that a Muslim is not fit for that office? He is also slowly becoming like other politicians who sideline Muslims when it comes to giving them big assignment,” a top sheikh at Kibuli Muslim faction told theGrapevine during the course of investigating this story.

theGrapevine has also seen a letter written by Kimanya-Kabonera legislator Dr Abed Bwanika asking for the position of Opposition representative on the Parliamentary Commission as a replacement for embattled Mityana Municipality legislator Francis Butebi Zaake.

Sources said that Bwanika has a big task of convincing Bobi Wine to assign him this influential position because he is on the list of legislators he rarely trusts.

Other sources disclosed that Bwanika is very calculative. He

“He is very sure that once Bobi Wine drops Mpuuga, he has to compensate the people of Greater Masaka by giving one of their sons another position.”

Sources said that chances are high that Bobi Wine is going to renew Zaake’s contract as Parliamentary Commissioner but if he is pressurised to make changes, he will replace him with either Ssenyonyi or Kasanda district woman legislator Flavia Nabagabe Kalule, who is a very good friend to Bobi Wine’s wife.

Zaake was impeached from the office of the commissioner of parliament on indiscipline grounds after attacking the speaker Among.

However, his actions were supported by Bobi Wine.

NUP insiders disclosed that Bobi Wine is expected back into the country before the end of this week to make the long awaited announcement.

By Grapevine Reporters