My father sacrificed a lot for Bobi Wine’s rise - Churchill Ssentamu

Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu made sacrifices that helped his younger brother Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine, become the man he is today, his son James Churchill Ssentamu has said.

In a video defending his father against claims that he hates the National Unity Platform (NUP) leader, Churchill said such accusations ignore the brothers’ shared history.

“You don’t know sacrifices my dad has had to make for Bobi Wine to be Bobi Wine,” he said. “My father has played a part in Bobi Wine being who he is today.”

Churchill did not specify the sacrifices in the supplied recording. However, he said dismissing his father’s contribution hurt him.

“So it hurts me when I hear people say my father hates his younger brother,” he said.

Nyanzi, popularly known as Chairman Nyanzi, is Bobi Wine’s elder brother. He served as NUP’s head of mobilisation, while his son took a separate electoral path at Makerere University. Churchill won the university’s guild presidency as an independent after losing the NUP-aligned People Power chapter primaries. 

In the video, Churchill pointed to the brothers’ childhood and Bobi Wine’s music as signs of their bond. He said they grew up together and that the singer had sung about Nyanzi.

Churchill also recalled spending school holidays at his uncle’s home. When he passed Primary Seven, he said, Bobi Wine became the first person to reward him, giving him a portable PlayStation.

“I love my uncle so much,” he said.

He rejected the suggestion that his decision to contest outside NUP reflected a lack of affection for Bobi Wine.

“I may not have run for Makerere guild presidency on the NUP ticket because of unavoidable circumstances, but I love my uncle,” he said.

Churchill took office as Makerere’s 91st guild president on March 21, 2025. His family connections drew attention to a contest in which he defeated candidates backed by both NUP and the ruling National Resistance Movement. 

His term later exposed tensions between family expectations and his university duties. In April 2025, Nyanzi urged him to resign after photographs showed him with President Yoweri Museveni. Churchill refused, arguing that his responsibilities as guild president required him to engage with the president. 

In the supplied video, however, Churchill stressed his affection for both his father and uncle, defending Nyanzi’s contribution to Bobi Wine’s rise while affirming his own bond with the singer and politician.