By Our Reporters
Kasangati town council Mayor Tony Sempebwa is lately having sleepless nights after Ssimbwa, a powerful Red Cross official, started meeting councilors, LCs and other elected leaders to popularize himself as the next MP for Kyaddondo East Constituency. Sempebwa, the bulky politician who is always standing next to Bobi Wine in a red overall, had started earlier canvassing for support and positioning himself as Bobi’s anointed successor. He has been Nangabo Sub County (now Kasangati Town Council) LC3 chairman for many terms and he now feels he has grown sufficient political balls to take on the position of area MP. The two men are convinced that Bobi Wine will be running for President, leaving a vacuum in Kyaddondo East. This is what many Ugandans think even when Mr. Wine is yet to clearly declare his interest in the position of President. Whereas Sempebwa has been always with Bobi in political campaigns like Bugiri and Arua (even his own in Kyaddondo East), wealthy Ssimbwa has always funded Bobi Wine both as a musician and later on a politician. He works with the Red Cross where he is one of the big men and was 4 years ago was famously cited in the old Red Cross management efforts to help Bobi (then a big name singer) cheaply import posh vehicles (including a Tundra (UAT416K) into the country. Mr. Wine hasn’t said anything so far but sources inside his camp say that when time comes, between Sempebwa and Ssimbwa, he will most likely choose the latter because he means much more to him unlike Sempebwa who jumped onto his campaign bandwagon out of sheer opportunism having previously fallen out with political allies in the FDC.
Long serving Sempebwa is DP but had until 2016 worked well with Dr. Kizza Besigye including during the turbulent walk to work period. He felt betrayed when FDC put a candidate against him in 2016 but he luckily bounced back. So it’s widely believed that desire for new political allies pushed him to back Bobi Wine against Apollo Kantinti whose FDC local network had produced a one Ps Kakande to challenge him in 2016. Ssimbwa and Sempebwa have created antagonistic camps inside Mr. Wine’s entourage and it’s something that could ferment chaos at Magere if it’s not resolved early. For instance on Friday, Mr. Wine hosted all LC1 chairpersons and councilors from the constituency at his home for a luncheon and the two protagonists tried to use the event to gain political advantage over the other. It’s something that at some point threatened proceedings at the luncheon as the two camps sought to gain prominence and use the function to outshine the other. In the end, being the LC3 Chairman, Sempebwa prevailed as he was allowed to share the high table with Bobi. Sometime in October when Mr. Wine addressed reporters in his Magere compound, Sempebwa had wished to sit next to him but the MP’s handlers bounced him off saying being flanked by a mere LC3 chairman (who can’t even express himself in English) would scandalize the man’s international news conference. Besides not being very much educated, Sempebwa also suffers significant unpopularity and political fatigue resulting from a prolonged incumbency as Nangabo LC3 Chairman. Some of his councilors are up in arms against him and this is what Ssimbwa is already using as an entry point to isolate and disorganize him from within his own council. Sempebwa has prepared himself to overcome those planning to catch him on inadequate academic qualifications by quietly studying to ensure his papers are in order by 2021. The other person eyeing the same seat is wealthy city lawyer Nkunyingi Muwadda who says: “I stood in the by-elections and offered to work with Bobi Wine the moment he won and my decision to stand in 2021 will depend on whether he [Bobi] comes back or not.” Muwadda says he will only run if Mr. Wine leaves for Presidency. We asked for his view on the Ssimbwa-Sempebwa feuding and Muwadda said: “I’m not threatened by any of them. I’m sure I can easily prevail against any candidate as long as it’s not Bobi Wine. He is only lion I recognize regarding the Kyaddondo East MP Seat. For the rest it’s like saying somebody who has been in the ring with a lion is afraid of facing a monkey in the same ring.” Muwadda said whereas Mr. Wine’s endorsement is important, the next MP will have to be somebody who is sufficiently appreciated by voters on the ground. “For me the time isn’t ripe just as yet otherwise the day I join the field and begin mobilization, the ground will shake and even people who don’t stay in Kyaddondo will feel the impact,” Muwadda sarcastically said. For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.
