By Our Reporters
Born 32 years ago, Joel Besekezi Ssenyonyi is the new (and actually the pioneer) spokesperson for Bobi Wine’s People Power Movement having been officially unveiled yesterday (Tuesday). The unveiling, done by Mr. Wine himself, was preceded by Ssenyonyi’s unexpected resignation from NTV where he held a prestigious job of news anchor and occasional talk show host.
This isn’t his first time in the partisan anti-Museveni politics. No he has been there before and the first time was 2011 when he carried the FDC flag for the Buganda region youth MP. Not very surprisingly (that being an NRM dominated Electoral College), Ssenyonyi didn’t win. Neither was it a very impressive showing. After conceding defeat at the Masaka youth elections, that was won largely by the one who had the money (Patrick Nakabale), Ssenyonyi briefly continued flocking with FDC before easing out following minor disagreements with colleagues in the FDC youth league.
Some say that Ssenyonyi, initially recruited by Wafula Oguttu (then FDC publicist), left largely because he had concluded that even as the Walk to Work protests raged, the FDC and opposition in general stood very limited chance overcoming a deeply entrenched incumbent like Museveni clearly buttressed by an extremely loyal IGP then Gen Kayihura. He ate a humble pie and briefly crawled back to UBC where it wasn’t easy because it’s considered abominable to contradict the incumbent in such an environment.
He gratefully got himself a slot at Serena-based NTV that was increasingly being threatened by new rivals; the NBS of Kamwokya. Many guys had left and glaring vacuum existed at Nation TV where he became a controversial news anchor whose true political colors later manifested with his conspicuous participation in the anti-OTT tax demo that was called by Mr. Wine who has eventually become his boss.
WHAT ELSE DO WE KNOW ABOUT SSENYONYI?
Born to Dorothy Nankunda (a Munyankore Munyarwanda from Ntungamo) and Joseph Besekezi Ssenyonyi of Buruli in Nakasongora district, amiable Joel endured an extremely deprived childhood and grew up with a single mother after Nankunda separated with Ssenyonyi Sr and left the Kyengera home where the couple initially lived. Joel attended initial schooling in Kyengera at the now defunct Kazinda Primary School up to P5. For months, almost homeless, Nankunda lived in someone’s kitchen with her malnourished children many times sleeping on empty stomach for lack of food. Being the eldest, Ssenyonyi was always a naughty tiny boy which earned him beatings.
Nankunda left the home partly protesting Ssenyonyi Senior’s promiscuous sex conduct which saw him produce several other children (Joel’s half-brothers) each with a mum. From Nankunda, Joel was born with three other siblings who he had to see grow up in a child-headed family following the death of his mum. She died on the eve of his PLE exams at Trinity Academy P/S in Bukoto Kampala. Prior to that, wandering Ssenyonyi also had brief stints at two other primary schools namely Namirembe Infant Primary School near Bakuli and Joy Primary School. At the Bukoto School, Joel became head boy and later emerged among the school’s best stars in PLE. Decency has always been his way of approaching things to the extent that even when they were hurt with his exit, colleagues in FDC say his departure was cordial and not acrimonious at all.
For post-primary, Ssenyonyi enrolled at what used to be called St. Lawrence Citizens High School at the current location of St. Lawrence University. OBs recall a tiny flamboyant very talkative boy who always wore huge black glasses. He was always very argumentative-and sometimes very irritating, recalls an OB. This was one of the credentials that made it possible for him to become the Chairman Debating Club during his S3. Yet his going to St. Lawrence was circumstantial as his first preferred choice was Kings College Budo which his relatives (supportive as they were) didn’t have enough money to take him to.
As a debating champion, Ssenyonyi excelled at national debating competitions and won a trip to London, making himself the first person in his extended family to travel by air. Indeed as he went to the Airport, he was escorted by the entire family travelling in buses Prof Mukiibi provided. The same happened on the day he returned from UK and this (at home) increased his celebrity status as a major among would-be equals.
At A’level, he read PEM/Art and the points he got (though not very bad) couldn’t get him his dream course of law. So he settled for Bsc in Business Statistics. But in S6 vacation, Ssenyonyi got a part time job with UBC TV where he presented a teenage show with Nancy Kalembe. He was 19 when he first worked on TV, an engagement he maintained even as he read his University degree.
Renowned for being deeply spiritual, the morally very upright Ssenyonyi is a practicing Born Again Christian fellowshipping at Watoto Church at whose Power fm he has been hosting a weekend political talk show every Saturday. He was 16 when he first came to salvation. That was in his S4 and actively joined the students’ scripture union at St. Lawrence whose founder Prof Lawrence Mukiibi was always very fond of him.
Mukiibi specifically liked the enthusiasm with which Ssenyonyi always embarked on things. Even in adulthood, he isn’t materially a very rich person but his childhood contempt for material possession has always shielded him away from media corruption. Media pals say he is fascinated by grand ideas and moral values and seldom by material accomplishments. He in fact despises those that pride themselves in material conquests, says a friend at NTV.
Dismissed by some as girl-phobic, Ssenyonyi has also been always very cautious when it comes to relationships the very reason not much is known about his love relations. In fact, even at Makerere where he currently is a law student, many even doubt if his manhood is okay. This largely is because of the indifference with which he relates with campus babes who sometimes can be very seductive.
IMPACTING KB-WINE RELATIONS
A strong believer in diplomacy, reaching out and deepening common understanding, Ssenyonyi has significantly been part of the pacification efforts that have enabled the Besigye and Kyagulanyi camps to rapidly make so much progress in such a short time.
He has been part of the many confidential meetings (some of them not very easy) including the one of Monday that hammered out the minimum consensus that was jointly communicated in a communique signed by KB and Mr. Wine. Even the joint news conference with Betty Nambooze in Kampala today Wednesday was proposed by him. During the Monday closed meeting (peripherally referred to in the communique), Ssenyonyi wasn’t only a key member of the Mr. Wine delegation but actually did much of the talking and engagement with KB on the sticking points as Bobi Wine, Chairman Fred Nyanzi, Nubian Lee and Barbie’s brother (a lawyer) keenly listened. This Monday meeting is something we are going to report about in details in our subsequently article coming up later this evening. The simple story will disclose who said what and how the others responded. Watch this space! (For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755 or email us at mulengera2040@gmail.com).
