Highly placed sources in National Unity Platform (NUP) have revealed to theGrapevine that the reason why their party president went to the thanksgiving ceremony organized by his personal lawyer and also human rights activist George Musisi at his Bulindo home was to make sure that the entire Kira Municipality feels his presence in the area.
Credible sources said that NUP inner circle has already taken a decision to front lawyer Musisi to contest on their card against Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda who has been in parliament since 2011.
Ssemujju recently told theGrapevine that he will retire from parliamentary politics once President Museveni is defeated thus pouring cold water on rumours that he was going to retire and give other politicians an opportunity to represent the area in parliament.
Early this year, Musisi told theGrapevine that he was going to contest against Betty Nambooze in Mukono Municipality.
However, NUP insiders have told theGrapevine that Bobi Wine and his handlers established that it is not the right time to lose Nambooze one of the senior legislators who decided to stomach public attacks from his longtime political comrades like Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba shielding the actions of Bobi Wine in the UGX500 million service award saga.
Sources added that Ssemujju is in NUP’s black book of MPs who undermine Bobi Wine and he recently faced off with Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro who declared him a hypocrite.
Sources said that Bobi Wine was briefed that Ssemujju can be defeated if a strong candidate is fronted against him because voters have established that he is among the opposition legislators who have been sealing multibillion deals with members of the DEEP STATE.
“You have seen how Ssemujju shields Mpuuga concerning the Shs500m scandal. He has been demeaning our party president that he was misled by our Leader of Opposition in Parliament Joel Ssenyonyi. He said that he cannot sign any document that is against Mpuuga because of their friendship. But when it comes to Museveni, he roasts him like nothing; that kind of person cannot be a leader,” a source who is a top decision maker in NUP said.
He added that voters see Ssemujju as a very conservative leader because he doesn’t even allow them to enter his home.
He placed a tent near his home and whoever wants to see him waits for him from that tent.
However, Ssemujju said that he was in a good life even before joining politics, his wife Faridah Ssemujju was driving a good car and his children were studying in good schools and even if he leaves parliament, his life will not change.
Sources said that at first Bobi Wine and his people were planning to front real estate dealer Jimmy Lukwago who was was defeated by Ssemujju in 2021 elections because Bobi Wine’s brother Eddy Yawe had already declared his interest to contest for Wakiso district chairperson yet their secong option, Kira Municipality mayor Julius Mutebi, was still interested in contesting for the same position he is occupying.
Sources in Lukwago’s camp are aware of the development at Makerere Kavule where the headquarters of NUP are situated and it is the reason why their man has decided to go back to the drawing board.
But others insiders told us that Lukwago is hiding from voters who have already started asking him for money and he needs money to secure the NUP ticket because he thinks that this time it is going to be more expensive compared to 2021.
Bobi Wine was briefed that Musisi is very strong and popular in Church of Uganda because he sits on the land committee of Kira Church of Uganda a position he has used to improve the lives of youths and women in Kira.
Sources added that Musisi is easy to be marketed among the people of Kira municipality because most of them are elites like himself and are tired of the tricks Ssemujju and friends in the opposition in parliament play which costs the taxpayers money.
Sources said that Bobi Wine was briefed that FDC Najjanankumbi leadership led by Patrick Amuriat and Nathan Nandala Mafabi have been clandestinely mobilizing people from their home areas of Teso and Bugisu who stay in Kira to register and vote from there so that they can use their numbers in the box to defeat Ssemujju.
President Museveni’s National Resident Movement (NRM) is also on the ground mobilizing political support to force Ssemujju out of Kira and they plan to front a one Isaac Ssenkubuge who is the Bweyogerere Division chairperson.
theGrapevine has established that strategic meetings for Ssenkubuge are conducted every weekend at Zebra spot hotel near Kira Division police chaired by Mamerito Mugerwa the former Kira Municipality mayor.
Ssenkubuge confirmed his intentions to contest against Ssemujju explaining that for a long time he has been hoodwinking people that he is in the opposition while silently benefiting from Museveni’s government.
However other sources said that Mamerito Mugerwa is the one fronting Ssenkubuge and financing his political ambitions to revenge on Ssemujju whom he accused of leading his downfall in 2021 when he contested to become Kira Municipality mayor.
Mamerito says Ssemujju told voters that he is a thief.
“Ssemujju told people that Mamerito is a thief who steals water from National Water and Sewerage Corporation. He also told them that he steals the checks that government donates to women groups to fight poverty. He further accused Ssenkubuge of being Mamerito’s barking dog and mouthpiece because by then Mamerito was sick and could not ably speak,” a source said.
Sources claim that in 2021, Ssenkubuge was defeated by NUP’s Faruk Muniga, Kkonde who was bankrolled by Ssemujju through FDC came next and Ssenkubuge was in 3rd position.
Surprisingly, he was declared the winner and Muniga took the matter to Court. Up to now, the matter has not yet been decided.
Sources said that Ssenkubuge is very sure with such political maneuvers, he is very likely of defeat Ssemujju and Musisi come 2026 parliamentary elections.
He added that Ssenkubuge got a photograph when President Museveni was in a meeting with Ssemujju’s father Mzee Nganda who is his close friend and a supporter of NRM.
Ssemujju admitted that his father is a friend to Museveni and one time when Museveni visited the defunct WBS TV to appear on Face the Press talk show moderated by senior political journalist Peter Kibazo, Museveni was very bitter with Ssemujju for attacking his government and family and threatened to report him to his father Nganda.
However theGrapevine has established that Ssemujju is still strong on ground especially among the elites and Musisi and Ssenkubuge have to work so hard to defeat him.
