‘I’m not trying to replace Bobi Wine, Besigye’ - Spire Ssentongo opens up on exhibition protest

Ssentongo is the face behind the protests which kicked off nearly two weeks ago in the form of an online exhibition of the menacing Kampala roads, and subsequently the struggling health sector.

Ssentongo, in a three-hour Twitter Space hosted Thursday night by former Vision Group head, Robert Kabushenga, spoke at length about the origins of this campaign, and also took time to respond to those venerating him as the new face of social justice.

“I have seen some people trying to compare me to other politicians like Bobi Wine and Besigye. Some are saying Spire has done what Bobi Wine failed to do. But these people are forgetting the sacrifices that have been made by others in trying out what they thought could work,” he said.

“Dr Besigye made so many sacrifices and he changed the terrain of resistance so much in Uganda. Bobi Wine has made his own contribution, so when I come out with this social media experiment, it can be appreciated in its own merit without being looked at in comparative terms, sometimes meant to pull down others.”

Ssentongo also disagrees with the view that virtual protests like these should be the only form of protests going forward, warning that this might be playing into the hands of the government.

“I think this is what government wants to hear because they have put in much effort to chase away people from the streets. I don’t want to think that protests must only be online. Those who can organize online should, and those who can organize other means they should."

Genesis

Mr Ssentongo says the idea of online “exhibition” protests came to him spontaneously, while he was driving home one evening from work.

A driver in front of him hit a huge pothole on Balintuma road and badly damaged their vehicle.

“I think this person was new to this road because those of us who use it daily know all the potholes there. But the driver hit this pothole and the bumper nearly flew off. They came out desperately complaining and looking at the degree of the damage. So, I thought to myself, how do we live like, this year after year in a city that we call the face of our country?”

At this point Ssentongo says he recalled a pothole exhibition which had been organised some time in 2009, by a number of people including current Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa, and his friend Francis Ssempiira who currently lives in Canada.

This protest never happened as it was foiled by Police.

But Ssentongo says he decided to try it out anyways, and upon sharing the idea on twitter, he ended up getting an overwhelmingly positive response.

“I cannot say I anticipated that it would go to the level where it reached,” he says.

Currently, the protest is focused on the national health care under #UgandaHealthExhibtion.

Ssentongo says the health exhibition will be running for two weeks, unlike the one on roads which went for one week.