One Bwino can exclusively report that a section of National Unity Platform (NUP) foot soldiers are clandestinely mobilizing a one million match to their party headquarters to seek answers from their party leaders especially the Leader of Opposition in Parliament Joel Ssenyonyi, national deputy president in charge of Northern Uganda Dr Lina Zedriga Waru and Kampala Lord Mayor Ssalongo Ronald Balimwezo.
Sources within the foot soldier camp have told Ono Bwino that their elected party leaders are using Dr Zedriga who without knowing that she is being used to undermine them to the extent of stopping them from going to their party headquarters without a satisfactory reason.
Ono Bwino recently reported that Dr Zedriga directed civilians who were providing security at the party headquarters not give foot soldiers access claiming that they are scaring serious people who want to have private engagements with her.
“I need space to do my work and execute the assignments on behalf of my president. Time for politics is over. Everyone should now go back to work for a living, we don’t have money here to give you,” a source quoted Zedriga telling the foot soldiers.
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The foot soldiers claim that Zedriga was forced into shielding Fred Nyanzi Ssetamu, the party’s head of diaspora and elder brother to Bobi Wine who they accussed of betrayal.
The misunderstandings between Nyanzi and the foot soldiers deepened after the state confirmed that he is among the few witnesses they have to testify against NUP leaders and foot soldiers currently facing criminal charges of unlawful drilling.
The foot soldiers led by Bobi Wine’s henchman Andrew Natumanya (Tabz) have been pressing Nyanzi to be clear on the deal he sealed with the State to accept to testify against his comrades who are rotting in prison because of criminal charges related to their political struggle against President Museveni’s government.
Sources divulged that other party leaders have also started chasing them from their different offices. They gave the example of Balimwezo who told his security at City Hall not to allow foot soldiers access to his office noting that time for politics is over and the only time he has is to work for the people of Kampala who overwhelmingly voted him into the said office.
Balimwezo told Ono Bwino that he is going to start engaging all the people of Kampala for recommendations to guide him when he is making serious decisions to make Kampala City better. He advised the foot soldiers that they are also welcome to these meetings to give their views.
“My emphasis is on creating jobs for our youths. Last week, I was in South Africa, we are in talks with investors from Netherlands who wanted to lift the face of the city ghettos, so we need time to work,” Balimwezo said.
However, the foot soldiers told Ono Bwino that they don’t need money as Dr Zedriga and Balimwezo think but they need to be recognised as people who contributed greatly to their victory by also allowing them to access their party offices.
“Since 2018, our comrades have been killed, imprisoned while others have disappeared without a trace, we don’t know whether are still alive or dead. After the 2021 general elections, we were also sidelined and the people we fought for branded us as indiscipline, but our president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) pleaded with us to give them space to work for us, but what have they done for us apart from them changing their lifestyle,” one of the foot soldiers told this website.
He added that they tried to reach out to Bobi Wine but he only promised to address their concern with Ssenyonyi who they also accuse of conniving with Zedriga to sideline them.
They are currently working on a document which they want to deliver to Zedriga concerning their one million match to Kavule where they want their leaders to answer to some of their burning questions.
“We have evidence that in his budget as the Leader of Opposition in parliament there is money for donations, where does that money go! Who is getting donations from our leader? We think part of it is being used to make his head shine because it looks like he goes to the saloon every day,” a foot soldier said.
Efforts to get a comment from either Ssenyonyi or Zedriga were fruitless because they did not pick our calls by press time.
