Former Kawempe South Member of Parliament aspirant under the National Unity Platform (NUP) ticket Roy Ssemboga has criticised the party’s vetting exercise, following his loss to Fred Nyanzi ‘Chairman’ Ssentamu insisting that the process lacked transparency and failed to prioritise local representation.
Speaking during NBS Frontline on Thursday, Ssemboga said his decision to consider standing again stems from very different circumstances to 2020, when he entered a race because he felt Kazibwe Bashir was not the right candidate.
This time, he said, an outsider from another constituency has been parachuted into Kawempe South — a move he says prompted local leaders to urge him to contest.
“Now the conditions are different. A person from another constituency has come in to stand in this constituency. No wonder people from my constituency have asked me to run,” Ssemboga said.
He revealed that a delegation of about 22 chairpersons from Kawempe South personally visited him with a petition and Shs 17.5 million in support of his potential candidacy, should he opt to run as an independent candidate.
“The people of Kawempe I have interacted with all say they want a representative from Kawempe, each with their own reasons,” he said.
Ssemboga described NUP as a broad movement but blamed a “few individuals” within the party for manipulating the vetting process. He said the selection exercise started on the right footing but was later compromised.
“I believed that the selection process would do the right thing. A process is something you go through. When we started, the process was good but along the way some issues came along,” Ssemboga said.
“I am saying that it’s a few individuals within NUP, causing the process to be manipulated, who are derailing the party.”
The 82nd Makerere University Guild President framed his choice as one of principle: loyalty to the cause rather than to a party or a politician.
“There is the cause and there is being politically correct. I will always choose the cause. I shouldn’t be loyal to a political party or politician but to the cause. I am a bonafide son of the soil from Kawempe South. I can tell you that both in vetting and on ground, I was the better candidate,” he said.
Ssemboga stressed his long record of leadership and public service arguing it would be hard to accept that he could have failed the party’s vetting questions.
Ssemboga said he will not rush into a decision on whether to run as an independent. He told supporters he needs to “do thorough consultations” and discuss the matter with a wide range of stakeholders before making a final call.
“I need to do thorough consultations. I need to discuss with so many stakeholders and then I will make my decision,” he said.
Ssemboga’s remarks come amid a wider wave of disquiet inside the opposition after NUP released its parliamentary flag bearers, a process that saw several sitting MPs and high-profile aspirants dropped and some choosing to run as independents.
The controversy has intensified debates over grassroots participation, internal democracy and the criteria used to choose candidates.
NUP leadership has previously defended its approach, saying selections were guided by grassroots support and local appeal.