Mr Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu, alias Chairman Nyanzi, says he still recoils in horror at the thought of this newspaper’s reportage.
‘I sincerely contemplated seeking legal redress,’ he says of his initial reaction to Weekend Monitor’s front-page splash titled ‘Betrayal in the City.’ To the uninitiated, the story addressed itself to Mr Nyanzi being lined up as a State witness in a case in which several members from Mr Nyanzi’s own party, the National Unity Platform (NUP), stand accused of a felony.
The felony in question is unlawful military drills in contravention of Section 45(1)(b) of the Penal Code Act. ‘Monitor should concentrate on reporting actual things that matter, like the ongoing corruption claims in the top government offices, because it is truer and more relevant than vexatious and frivolous claims of my betrayal,’ Mr Nyanzi protests. ‘I have never been interviewed or interrogated as a witness in this case. I was the first person to be abducted, tortured, kept incommunicado for more than five days and then dumped on the street in regards to the same allegations. This is a taint against my name to make me look like a traitor because they know they are illegitimate. So, claiming my acquiescence and partnership with the State against my comrades is aimed at causing hatred against me and confusion among the people of Uganda,’ he adds.
Up in arms
Mr Nyanzi’s younger brother, the now self-exiled Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, alias Bobi Wine, heads NUP, which, just as it did in the 11th Parliament, has the largest number of Opposition lawmakers in the 12th Parliament. The number could have been bigger, but Mr Nyanzi alleges that the Electoral Commission (EC) contrived to name the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party’s Madina Nsereko winner. ‘Forty-seven polling stations were un-tallied and were not part of the declared results, thus de-enfranchising over 32,000 voters, including the entire Makerere University and the polling station where I voted from. However, it is shocking that the same polling stations had results of other electoral positions declared, and that is the District Woman MP and President,’ he says.
There are also two other issues that have left Mr Nyanzi convinced that he won the vote with 16,008 votes. ‘Secondly, there was falsification and alteration of results on the contended DR [declaration of results] forms, where the EC, in favour of Madina Nsereko, decided to inflate and deflate results for 53 polling stations, gaining her an advantage of accumulating big numbers in the polls. These alterations are visible at first sight of the certified EC DR forms. It is a shame that blatant forgery by this important institution, with the trusteeship of conducting free and fair elections as mandated by law, was certified and presented to court,’ he says.
‘The third ground was the alteration of results by changing or swapping, where my supporters were awarded to Madina and her little support placed on me. This was done in 20 polling stations where my big number was exchanged for her smaller number of votes. Besides, in the 89 untampered polling stations, I won with over 3,000 votes,’ he adds. However, Julius Mucunguzi, the EC spokesperson, says: ‘The law is clear, we don’t engage for candidates as EC. Let him go to court and present evidence so that a ruling can be made. We can not be discussing these matters casually like that.’
A red herring?
Mr Nyanzi says the felony accusations he has been sucked into against his fellow NUP members are intended to be a red herring as he prepares to contest Ms Nsereko’s Kawempe South parliamentary poll win. According to the EC results, Ms Nsereko won the poll with a difference of 7,299 votes. Mr Nyanzi has been in court before in the wake of defeat in a parliamentary race. He challenged Mr Muhammad Nsereko’s victory in Kampala Central during the 2021 polls on multiple occasions. The High Court threw out his case. He appealed, and was successful after three justices led by Geoffrey Kiryabwire ordered a fresh trial. The retrial, however, didn’t pan out the way Mr Nyanzi intended. Mr Nsereko was given the all clear.
Mr Nyanzi says plans to have him testify from the witness box in the case against his fellow NUP members ‘is a target to make me lose balance and concentration on my election petition.’ The man known to many simply as Chairman says this, at any rate, will not be the case. ‘They intend to gain ground in illegitimating my victory in Kawempe South by suppressing and frustrating my presence and vigilance in the pursuit of the petition,’ he says, adding: ‘I will always be a free man because I have decided to stand firm on the truth amid all propaganda, misconceptions and other challenges since the inception of the struggle. The Bible says: ‘Know the truth and it shall set you free.’
The State may perform its common persecutions, but I consider myself a more free man than the judges who may be ordered to persecute me.’ Does this mean he will indeed testify from the witness box? ‘I will never be used as a tool of injustice. My stand is priceless, and that is why the State has decided to lie and misrepresent my stand against comrades. I cannot go against my comrades. So, [my] first step is not to appear in that court because this is simply a political matter intended to persecute,’ he pointedly declares.
Proven mobiliser
At NUP, Mr Nyanzi is the secretary for international relations. After being appointed to the role last June, NUP described Mr Nyanzi as ‘a dedicated leader who has made a significant contribution in the mobilisation department.’ Mr Nyanzi says his track record speaks for itself. ‘In the first place, it was through the character of Bobi Wine that we initiated into Hon Kyagulanyi in the 2017 Kyadondo East Constituency by-elections. As a fulcrum, my pivotal role after winning this by-election was to mobilise all political elements, which included veteran politicians to re-emerge into a tangible Opposition to foster change of leadership in this country,’ he says.
‘Before the formation of People Power, I initiated the raising of the national flag from Kyadondo to the entire country. I, with 10 other people, convened and created the People Power Movement, where we came up with the slogan ‘People Power, Our Power’, which was followed by an anthem that I derived from a worship song called Engule that was later recognised and loved by many Ugandans. Later on, we continued to realise that there was virtue in leadership and decided to front Hon Kyagulanyi to take the mantle of leadership as a president,’ he adds.
Skeletons in the closet?
How about the allegations of the presence of skeletons in his closet? Mr Nyanzi has, for one, been accused of soliciting bribes from aspirants keen on securing the NUP ticket ahead of the general elections in the country. ‘I have been a very hardworking person since childhood. I have been a leader from LC1 chairperson. I have always been satisfied with my achievements, only to be motivated to work for more. I have no criminal record. I have never been part of our vetting committee or the Election Management Committee [NUP’s electoral body]. I was also one of the candidates who were vetted and screened,’ he responds.
‘The Daily Monitor newspaper is aware that the party, through the president, enacted a commission of inquiry to investigate corruption, sexual harassment and exploitation among party leadership, to which it was given about two weeks to come up with a report. Since then, nobody brought any claim against me, and no report has been brought out to the public. The chaos was only fuelled by social media misrepresentations. Maybe, the Commission owes me a declaration of innocence, considering the harm suffered to my reputation,’ he adds.