For many years, Kiira MP Ibrahim Semujju Nganda excelled as a weekly panelist on CBS’ Kiriza obagana program every Wednesday and some attributed his success in 2011 when he first offered himself for MP elections to the visibility the Buganda Kingdom radio gave him. For close to 5 years now, Semujju hasn’t been regularly appearing on CBS as he used to. But why is this so? And how did all this come about? It all started with new Katikkiro Mayiga issuing a set of conditions for Museveni opponents that used to speak on CBS. Just months into his tenure as Katikiro, Mayiga went into talks with Museveni resulting into the MoU according to which many of Buganda’s long held properties (mostly land) were returned. Museveni expected a more courteous Mengo whose officials would reciprocate his good will gesture by purging his critics on CBS radio. This is how a group of young Baganda politicians were summoned to Bulange for de-briefing. These included mostly guys who had been coalescing around the Suubi pressure group agenda namely Erias Lukwago, Muwanga Kivumbi, Mathias Mpuuga, Betty Nambooze, Semujju Nganda and others. In that meeting, the new Katikkiro made his wish known and it’s was only Semujju Nganda who openly protested and told him off. The militant man from Lwengo told Mayiga he could politically do without appearing on CBS rather than appearing there and engage in self-censorship as regards the extent to which he could or couldn’t criticize the central government. Moderator Med Nsereko tried to prevail on Semujju Nganda by reminding him he had become popular and won the then Kyaddondo East MP Seat because of the platform CBS had given him. “That is nothing but blackmail and you know it’s not true Med because if mere appearing on CBS was enough to put one in Parliament, how come you yourself the moderator who has been appearing on that same program longer than me, has never become an MP yet you always talk about standing in Masulita [Busiro North]?” Nganda was quoted as furiously responding to Med Nsereko. He told him much as he remained a Kabaka loyal subject, he was taking a break from Mengo activities for as long as Mayiga was Katikkiro. Indeed Nganda kept his word and resorted to mostly speaking on Capital Gang and Radio Simba on top of the regular TV appearances. FDC Vice President Joyce Sebugwawo (who is also a director on CBS) subsequently confronted Med Nsereko complaining about lack of representation for her FDC party on the CBS weekly political programs. In consultation with Semujju Nganda who is party publicist, Sebugwawo fronted Harold Kaija to appear every Wednesday to ensure continued presence of the FDC voice on CBS. Initially Kaija found it hard fitting in as the moderator was always hostile and belittling him because of his ambitions to unseat Kampala Central MP Mohammed Nsereko who is a very good friend of the moderator. Semujju has evidently kept his word and carefully kept away from not just CBS but other Mayiga-led Mengo activities even in his Constituency. But being the Kiira MP, an area where the Kabaka also resides, Semujju has privately kept in touch with his king without any reference to Mayiga, whose Katikkiroship he greatly despises. This is mostly because of Mayiga’s determination to ensure platforms like CBS can never be used again to promote hostilities against his ally Yoweri Museveni. To his credit, the Kiira MP has at least kept his decency and avoided bashing Mayiga publicly like Nuhu Muzaata and Tamale Mirundi or even Frank Gashumba have always done. For comments, call/text/whatsapp us on 0703164755.
