Embattled Kawempe North legislator Muhammad Ssegirinya has confirmed to theGrapevine that come 2026 general elections, he is ready to fight for his Kawempe North parliamentary seat.

Ssegirinya’s confirmation comes on the heels of a tip off to theGrapevine political desk from a National Unity Platform (NUP) insider claiming that their president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) is set to support his blue eyed boy who also doubles as the party deputy spokesperson Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro to oust Ssegirinya.

Sources claim that Bobi Wine lost trust in Ssegirinya when he was briefed that their release from prison on murder and terrorism charges was as a result of a deal they sealed with President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s government.

Ssegirinya and his co-accused Allan Ssewanyana, the Makindye West legislators took months after their release from prison without talking to Bobi Wine or other party leadership members until they publicly complained.

However, Ssegirinya recently said that he has forgiven Mufumbiro who he had publically warned never to step next to his grave or his dead body.

Ssegirinya was bitter after Mufumbiro attacked him while on treatment abroad that he was playing on people’s intelligence and feigning sickness.

Upon landing at Entebbe airport, Ssegirinya said that he told his mother and his other family members and friends never to allow Mufumbiro to attend his burial since he was very sure, after getting assurance from his doctors in Netherlands that he is going to die before Mufumbiro.

He noted that if 2026 reaches when he is still alive, he is going to contest for the Kawempe North parliamentary seat and will retire in 2031.

Ssegirinya insists that no one can defeat him in Kawempe North.

He boasted that within six months after swearing in as the area legislator, he had already fulfilled all the promises he made to do his electorate and now he is in bonus much as his plans were frustrated by his imprisonment.

Ssegirinya’s enemies now claim that the only position Ssegirinya can contest for is councilor since they have information that he forged the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) and the Uganda Advance Certificate of Education (UACE) which he used in 2021, that is why he is still facing criminal charges.

Other people interested in Ssegirinya’s parliamentary seat include; former area legislator Al-Hajji Latif Ssebaggala and Sulaiman Kidandala.

By Grapevine Political Desk

Last week, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) leadership sitting at the party headquarters Najjanakumbi rushed to Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama’s Uganda Independent Electoral Commission Offices at Bugolobi a Kampala suburb to stop a clandestine process aimed at deregistering their party.

Highly placed sources at Electoral Commission revealed to theGrapevine that among the FDC leaders who stormed the Electoral Commission Offices include; Nathan Nandala Mafabi, the party Secretary General and Yusuf Nsibambi, one of the founders of the FDC and a seasoned lawyer.

At the Electoral Commission offices, Mafabi and team establish that the tip they had received about some strangers who were conniving with some Electoral Commission staff to temper with their file was very true.

Sources claim that a number of essential documents including the file containing the list of newly elected leaders from the grass root was pulled out and was missing from the file.

Sources said that Mafabi had to rush back to their Najjanankumbi office to get the new list of the leaders and put it back into the file.

Last week, after being nominated to contest for the position of the party national vice president in charge of Buganda, Nsibambi told party members at Najjanankumbi that all efforts by Dr. Kizza Besigye’s Katonga faction to register their passed resolution at their illegal extra-delegates conference failed because they are not recognised by the Electoral Commission which is the supreme supervisor of all political parties in the country.

He explained that it is only the Najjanankumbi faction that is recognised by the Electoral Commission because it has the party stamp.

He guided that all people who wish to stand on FDC ticket in the coming 2026 general elections have to get recommendation from Najjanakumbi not Katonga.

FDC insiders told theGrapevine that the reason why Dr. Besigye’s Katonga team were fighting hard to make sure that Birigwa’s extraordinary delegates conference is held was they wanted to get resolutions to deregister FDC in order to frustrate Mafabi’s faction.

The move was kept secret and not publicly announced like other resolutions that were passed and announced by Kira Municipality legislator Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, the party spokesperson.

Besigye faction held their delegates conference in the presence of the Court Order issued by the Civil Division of the High Court stopping it.

Sources claim that the list of names pulled out of the FDC file at the Electoral Commission was set to be replaced with the names of people who attended Birigwa’s extra-ordinary delegates’ conference.

The FDC Constitution allows that the party can be deregistered if a resolution is passed by the party’s top organ.

This is what Besigye’s group wanted to successfully execute so that they make Mafabi’s coming delegates conference illegal.

Nsibambi confirmed that the only delegates conference that is going to elect the new party leadership will be held on 6^th October, 2023.

However, Mubarak Munyagwa, the former Kawempe South legislator who is also Dr. Kizza Besigye’s diehard denied the allegations that the Electoral Commission declined to receive the resolutions made at Birigwa’s delegates conference insisting that there is no way their resolutions can be denied.

He explained that their acting Secretary General, appointed at Birigwa’s meeting Harold Kaija will file their resolutions with the Electoral Commission before the end of this week.

When contacted, Paul Bukenya the spokesperson of the Electoral Commission declined to comment on the matter. He advised FDC members to clean their house internally instead of using the Electoral Commission to fight their battles.

Last week, Justice Byabakama pleaded with both parties fighting over FDC leadership to follow the country’s laws and laws that govern political parties.

He explained that the Electoral Commission has not yet been officially informed about the ongoing wars apart from seeing correspondence from both parties on social media.

By Sengooba Alirabaki

The Makindye Division Mayor Ali Kasirye Mulyanyama, a blue eyed boy to National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) has warned his party members to be very careful with Kampala Lord mayor Ssalongo Erias Lukwago who he branded a vampire.

Mulyanyama branded Lukwago a war monger who cannot be at peace but finds pleasure in picking up fights with other people.

It is at this point that Mulyanyama branded Lukwago a vampire who is always smelling for blood.

He explained that Lukwago is using these wars to seek popularity from the gullible local people who think that he is fighting for them but in reality, he is looking for personal gains.

Mulyanyama was commenting on the fresh verbal ongoing fight between Lukwano and Kampala State Minister Joseph Kabuye Kyafatogabye over road construction in the city.

Kabuye accuses Lukwago of frustrating road construction in the city because he wants to achieve political gains.

However, Lukwago insists that government officials like Kabuye are undermining the resolutions and proposals of the elected leaders in the city with the mission of placing them in bad light before their voters.

Political commentator and also the senior presidential advisor on media Joseph Tamale Mirundi recently revealed that Lukwago is going to use his new position as the leader of Katonga Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) faction to achieve his 2026 presidential ambition.

Mirundi claims that the four presidential candidates Dr. Kizza Besigye is going to make sure that Lukwago, who he mentored politically has plans to stand for presidency come 2026.

He explained that Lukwago’s presidential candidature will cost Bobi Wine badly in his strong areas of Buganda and among the Muslim community.

Mirundi added that Lukwago’s candidature is going to bring together the Muslim sects which include; that of Old Kampala led by mufti Sheikh Shaban Ramathan Mubajje, Kibuli faction led by Prince Dr. Kassim Nakibinge Kakungulu and the Tabliq sect led by Sheikh Muhammad Yunus Kamoga.

“Bobi Wine is gone, the only person who can save him is Buganda King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi or Prince Nakibinge who have the power to convince Lukwago to drop his presidential ambitions otherwise Bobi Wine will bleed,”’ Mirundi said.

Sources within Katonga camp revealed that very soon, they are going to unveil their political pressure group which is expected to be named ‘One Uganda One Dream’.

The Katonga group want to use this pressure group as a political motor vehicle come 2026.

Insiders in NUP that theGrapevine talked to during the course of investigating this story disclosed that Lukwago’s political calculation is to threaten that he is standing for presidency so that he catches the eye of Bobi Wine who will fear splitting the Buganda and Muslim community vote.

“Lukwago has calculated that because of this fear, Bobi Wine will enter a deal with him which will involve ring fencing his Lord Mayor position so that NUP do not front a candidate in 2026,” the insider said.

Sources disclosed that once Bobi Wine makes such a decision, Mulyanyama, Kawempe Division mayor Emmanuel Sserunjogi and Kampala city speaker Zahara Luyirika who are competing for the NUP ticket for Lord Mayor slot will be badly affected.

Sources in the FDC told Grapevine that they are set to front former Makindye East legislator Ibrahim Kasozi.

National Resistance Movement (NRM) is set to front Kampala Central Division mayor Salim Uhuru.

By Sengooba Alirabaki