Mr Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu, widely known as Chairman Nyanzi, has rejected claims that he is set to testify as a State witness against fellow National Unity Platform (NUP) members, describing the allegations as politically motivated and damaging to his reputation.
Mr Nyanzi said he was disturbed by Weekend Monitor’s front-page story titled “Betrayal in the City,” which reported that he had been lined up as a prosecution witness in a case involving NUP members accused of unlawful military drills under Section 45(1)(b) of the Penal Code Act.
He said he initially considered taking legal action over the report, arguing that it portrayed him as a traitor within his own party.
According to Mr Nyanzi, he has never been interviewed or interrogated as a witness in the case. He said he was instead among the first people to be abducted, tortured, held incommunicado for more than five days, and later abandoned on a street in relation to the same allegations.
He accused the State of using the matter to create mistrust between him and his political colleagues, saying the claims were intended to damage his standing among NUP supporters and the wider public.
Mr Nyanzi is the elder brother of NUP leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine. NUP remains the largest Opposition party in Parliament, as it was in the 11th Parliament.
Beyond the criminal case, Mr Nyanzi also maintains that he won the Kawempe South parliamentary election, despite the Electoral Commission declaring National Resistance Movement candidate Madina Nsereko the winner.
He alleges that 47 polling stations were not tallied in the final results, affecting more than 32,000 voters, including those at Makerere University and the polling station where he voted. He questioned why results from the same polling stations were reportedly declared for other races, including the presidential and District Woman MP contests.
Mr Nyanzi also claims that results from 53 polling stations were altered in Ms Nsereko’s favour through inflated and reduced figures. He further alleges that votes were swapped at 20 polling stations, with his stronger results allegedly transferred to Ms Nsereko and her lower figures assigned to him.
He says he won by more than 3,000 votes in 89 polling stations that he describes as untampered with.
However, Electoral Commission spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi said the commission would not debate the matter outside the legal process. He said Mr Nyanzi should present his evidence in court for determination.
“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,” Mr Mucunguzi said.
Mr Nyanzi believes the witness allegations are meant to distract him as he prepares to challenge Ms Nsereko’s victory in court. According to official results, Ms Nsereko won the Kawempe South race by 7,299 votes.
This is not Mr Nyanzi’s first election petition. After the 2021 elections, he challenged Mr Muhammad Nsereko’s Kampala Central victory. The High Court dismissed the case, but the Court of Appeal ordered a fresh trial. The retrial later upheld Mr Nsereko’s win.
Mr Nyanzi said the latest controversy is designed to weaken his focus on the Kawempe South petition. He insisted that he will not cooperate in any process he considers unjust or politically motivated.
“I will never be used as a tool of injustice,” he said, adding that he would not act against his comrades.
Within NUP, Mr Nyanzi serves as secretary for international relations. When he was appointed to the role last June, the party described him as a dedicated leader who had made major contributions to mobilisation.
Mr Nyanzi says his role in Opposition mobilisation dates back to the 2017 Kyadondo East by-election, when Mr Kyagulanyi entered elective politics. He says he helped bring together different political actors, including veteran politicians, under what later became the People Power Movement.
He also claims to have been involved in developing the People Power slogan and promoting the movement nationally before NUP was formed.
Responding to past allegations that he solicited bribes from aspirants seeking NUP tickets, Mr Nyanzi denied any wrongdoing. He said he has no criminal record and was never part of the party’s vetting committee or its Election Management Committee.
He noted that he was also vetted as a candidate and said no official finding has implicated him in corruption, sexual harassment, or exploitation allegations within the party.
Mr Nyanzi said a party commission of inquiry had been set up to investigate such claims, but no report had been made public and no formal complaint had been brought against him.
He said the allegations against him were largely driven by social media claims and argued that the commission should clear his name, given the harm he says has been done to his reputation.