Tuesday of last week, people power camp elected their spokesperson Known as Joel Besekezi Ssenyonyi who is now 32 years. He was announced as a strong pillar to handle all public affairs concerning people by its Chairman Robert Kyagulanyi the Kyadondo East member of parliament.
His Background
Born to Dorothy Nankunda (a Munyankore Munyarwanda from Ntungamo) and Joseph Besekezi Ssenyonyi of Buruli in Nakasongora district, amiable Joel endured an extremely deprived childhood and grew up with a single mother after Nankunda separated with Ssenyonyi Sr and left the Kyengera home where the couple initially lived.
Joel attended initial schooling in Kyengera at the now-defunct Kazinda Primary School up to P5. For months, almost homeless, Nankunda lived in someone’s kitchen with her malnourished children many times sleeping on an empty stomach for lack of food. Being the eldest, Ssenyonyi was always a naughty tiny boy a character which earned him beatings.
His Education
His mother died on the eve of his PLE exams at Trinity Academy P/S in Bukoto Kampala. Prior to that, wandering Ssenyonyi also had brief stints at two other primary schools namely Namirembe Infant Primary School near Bakuli and Joy Primary School. At the Bukoto School, Joel became head boy and later emerged among the school’s best stars in PLE.
Decency has always been his way of approaching things to the extent that even when they were hurt with his exit, colleagues in FDC say his departure was cordial and not acrimonious at all.
Joel attended his secondary school at St. Lawrence Citizens High School which was demolished and replaced with St. Lawrence University.
At A’level, he read PEM/Art and the points he got (though not very bad) couldn’t get him his dream course of law. So he settled for Bsc in Business Statistics.
During his S6 vacation, Ssenyonyi got a part-time job with UBC TV where he presented a teenage show with Nancy Kalembe. He was 19 when he first worked on TV, an engagement he maintained even as he read his University degree
His political Life
Ssenyonyi has previously contested for the Buganda youth MP slot on opposition Forum for Democratic Change party in 2011 but lost to NRM Patrick Nakabale in an election that took place in Masaka.
Ssenyonyi later fell out with FDC following minor disagreements with colleagues in the FDC youth league.
On quitting FDC, Ssenyonyi apologized and was accepted back at UBC though many people at the station treated him as an anti-government for contesting on the opposition tickets.
He gratefully got himself a slot at Serena-based NTV that was increasingly being threatened by new rivals; the NBS of Kamwokya.
Many guys had left and glaring vacuum existed at Nation TV where he became a controversial news anchor whose true political colors later manifested with his conspicuous participation in the anti-OTT tax demo that was called by Bobi Wine who has eventually become his boss.
