Ever since Kyadondo East Legislator Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu announced his intention to take on Yoweri Museveni for the Presidency, his journey has not been a rosy one.
It all began with the blockage of his music concerts, previously known to be his major source of income.
With his financial muscle broken by the ban, the world seemed to be caving in on him untill he devised another means of earning through performing abroad where he minted dollars like there was no tomorrow.
But that was not all. After the Bugiri Municipality MP election which brought Asuman Basalirwa to Parliament, the singer cum politician would face life threatening experience in the Arua by-election where he was beaten to near death by the country’s security organs. He was later incarcerated and charged with treason.
Since the turn of the year, there have been various moves against the NUP principal which have been interpreted to be a ploy to fail him in his bid to be on the ballot next year.
Below we analyse the grounds upon which Kyagulanyi could fail to appear on the ballot next year, leaving President Museveni sail into his sixth Presidential term unhindered.
Education
Eventhough Bobi Wine has the required minimum education requirement of Advanced Certificate of Education as per the Electoral Commission’s rules, the fact that his age doesn’t really add up with his education could raise issues.
It’s however been argued that the singer could have achieved such a feat of the youngest ever A’ level student by skipping some classes in the process of his education.
If this is also true however, it could attract culpability for the presidential hopeful since his education process would not meet the elementary test where each class is given a year for one to be allowed into another.
The moral / integrity test.
For giving false information regarding his age, Mr Kyagulanyi could have landed himself into danger. Lawyer Male Mabirizi has already revealed his intent to petition High Court seeking to block him from contesting in the next general election for being unfit on moral and integrity grounds.
If he succeeds in the appeal, Bobi Wine could not only be barred from taking part in the Presidential contest but also other elective positions in the country.
The fraudulent NUP acquisition and registration.
As we wait to hear from the Electoral Commission on the petition where a group of people who claim to be the bonafide owners of the National Unity transformation and Development (NURDP) which changed to NUP after being acquired by Bobi Wine asked the Commission to deregister and repossess the party in it’s original form.
They argue that the change of ownership, name and leadership was illegal since only 51 forged delegates appeared in the delegates conference that appointment Kyagulanyi party leader.
With nominations for Presidential candidates just a few months a way, the verdict could annul the party when it’s too late to make amends for Mr Kyagulanyi to look for the required signatures around the country to either stand as an independent or through another party.
And even if the EC decision comes in his favor, the claimants have already made their resolve known that they would go on to seek justice in the courts of law should they fail to attain it from the electoral body. This would plung Mr Kyagulanyi and his group into a disastrously protracted legal process consuming his valuable time.
The Mwenda question
Right from the time veteran journalist Andrew Mwenda announced his decision to join NUP, it clearly appeared he was plotting something sinister against the party.
Posing with his new party’s membership card and carrying the red berret on his head, Mwenda proudly asserted his membership to the party and announced he would be taking on it’s defacto leader Bobi Wine for both the Presidency of the party and the flag for the Presidency.
He went on to take with him what he believed were expression of interest forms for the Presidency only to realise two weeks later that he had actually picked those for councillors.
It however emerged last week that Kyagulanyi had been declared NUP’s Presidential flag bearer despite the fact that Mwenda too had picked forms for the same position.
While giving the verdict, party spokesman Joel Ssenyonyi said the decision had been arrived at after no any other person picking forms apart from Kyagulanyi, contrary to Mwenda’s claim.
As such he says Kyagulanyi got the flag fraudulently because he (Mwenda)was deliberately not informed of the deadline to return the forms. He has since vowed to challenge the decision by the party and if all goes according to his plan, the contraversal former Museveni sympathiser could have Mr Wine kicked out of the race.
The National Indentification and Registration Authority.
Unpredictable lawyer Male Mabirizi has said he has already written to Makerere University asking for the details Mr Kyagulanyi presented to be admitted to the institution. He has also done the same to NIRA with the aim of gathering enough evidence to prove the disparities in the former pop star’s age.
If Mabirizi can later on convince court that some of the details in the NIRA registry are inconsistent with the truth, his national identification card could be recalled and asked to apply for another afresh.
But with just a few months left to the presidential nominations, Mr Kyagulanyi would most certainly sort the mess after the process has passed and perhaps after Mr Museveni has already been sworn in for the extension of his reign to a record 40 years.
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