By Otim Nape
The circumstances under which his imprisonment in a South Korean jail, over human trafficking-related charges, ended remain unclear. But the truth of the matter is that the ex-Deputy Kampala Lord Mayor Hon Suleiman Kidandala Sserwadda is back to Uganda and has deliberately been living quietly inside Uganda for the last two months.
And fully cognizant of his campaign organizational prowess, the NUP Presidential Candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu recently privately met with Kidandala in one of the Busoga region districts and successfully convinced him to once again become his man as he continues leading the struggle to make Uganda a better-governed country.
Sources say that Mr. Wine, whose NUP party top decision makers disappointed and sacrificed the workaholic Kidandala during the 2021 candidate selection exercise by giving the NUP Kawempe North flag to Mohammed Segirinya, used that Busoga district private meeting at a hotel to own up and apologize to Kidandala.
He went on to tell him how he was feeling isolated after many of the senior politicians turned their back and declared war on him, especially following his tulmultous fallout with the Mathias Mpuuga group.
The Principal told Kidandala he needs him to help galvanize support from especially seasoned politicians who came from what existed as DP Bloc during the DP re-union days. He told Kidandala that he badly needed him to help him assemble of old UYD alumni who used to belong to what came to be known as the “UYD Johnson Street faction.” These used to autonomously operate an office at London Chambers building near City Square even when they claimed to be part of the DP youth wing.
Kidandala reportedly assured Kyagulanyi that it was well; making it clear that he was humbled by the fact that the NUP leader still considered him useful after all that has been happening.
Kyagulanyi rejected Kidandala’s assertion that, having just returned from the controversial imprisonment, he needed time to first replenish and recompose himself before accepting any engaging political deployment. He explained that he needed private time to himself to be able to rebuild his own life, having been through a lot.
Kyagulanyi persuaded Kidandala to accept the role of being part of his campaign entourage in the capacity of chief logistics organizer for the campaign. Kidandala, who is an expert at doing that type of work, having done the same for years in DP, reluctantly agreed.
Kyagulanyi motivated him even further when he told him this wasn’t going to be voluntary work because there would be a good campaign budget on which Kidandala and other UYD alumni would have the last word.
That is how Kidandala ended up becoming part of Kyagulanyi’s campaign coordination team whose other members who are also UYD alumni include lawyer Kenneth Paul Kakande, large-eyed William Kamulegeya and a few others.
As you read this, Kidandala (who has demanded to be allowed to operate incognito, as opposed to being conspicuously visible on camera as the campaign rages on) continues being the key coordinator inside Kyagulanyi’s ongoing campaign trail and a grateful NUP Principal has continued to ensure that he is handsomely remunerated for his work. The man from Magere is also said to have demonstrated extreme respect by accepting many of the campaign-related ideas that keep coming from Kidandala, Kenneth Paul Kakande and other UYD alumni involved.
Knowledgeable Kavule sources say that even when he publicly demanded that the rest of the NUP leaders, who are candidates in their own respective areas, stay away and stop being part of his campaign entourage, Kyagulanyi was counting on the organizational and co-ordinational support he was anticipating to be getting from the Kidandala-led group of UYD alumni. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
