Makerere University Guild President James Churchill Ssentamu, son of Fred Nyanzi, alias Chairman Nyanzi, Bobi Wine’s brother also the NUP chief mobilizer has said that his photo with President Yoweri Museveni was non-political, explaining that he attended the event solely in his capacity as Guild President, representing the students he leads.
e said that he was serving the role of the guild president including presiding over functions and ceremonies.
“I am the new Guild President and have to serve the constituency that voted for me. The role of the Guild President includes presiding over functions and ceremonies because I am the students’ representative. I don’t choose the Chief Guest; I am invited like everyone else,” he said, before asking those criticizing him to enhance tolerance of diversity.
In a press release and personal statement issued Friday morning, Ssentamu says the meeting with Museveni was not a cozy affair, but part of his official role representing over 32,000 students at the launch of the university’s Research and Innovation Week.
“These pictures were taken while I was on my official duty… They have stirred a storm among the general public, my family, and my fellow students. Some opportunists are using them to tell blatant lies for their benefit,” Ssentamu wrote.
The controversial photo was taken during President Museveni’s visit to the university on Tuesday, April 8, showed Ssentamu and other members of the student guild seated beside the president during the launch of the 2025 Makerere Research and Innovation Week at the main campus’s Freedom Square.
