Leave politics alone – Nina Roz urges youths

Musician-turned-politician Kakunda Nina, popularly known as Nina Roz, has warned young Ugandans to think carefully before joining politics after what she described as a traumatic election experience in Ssembabule District.

Speaking on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at a Uganda Law Society press conference in Kampala, the National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate said the violence and intimidation she witnessed left her disheartened.

“I was the NUP flag bearer for Ssembabule district woman MP. What I witnessed was not an election but war. People lost lives… My agents were beaten badly, some were arrested,” she said.

To those with hopes to venture into politics in the future, the singer said this might not be worth their effort.

“It was my first time, but I will be honest, I wouldn’t advise any youth to engage in politics in Uganda because I have personally experienced that it is indeed a dirty game,” she said.

Nina Roz contested for the Ssembabule District Woman Member of Parliament seat on the NUP ticket but finished third in a hotly contested race won by NRM candidate Florence Nambazira.

After the election, she rejected the outcome, claiming the process was neither free nor fair.

The singer, who was running for public office for the first time, later said the experience exposed what she believes are deep flaws in Uganda’s political system and insisted she had strong local support despite the loss.

During the campaign season, violence erupted at a rally in Lwemiyaga sub-county, leaving one supporter dead and injuring others after armed personnel clashed with supporters.

Against this backdrop, Nina Roz told lawyers that young people face serious risks when they attempt to participate in politics.

“The politics in Uganda can scare and dishearten you. It will go down in history that this government didn’t give young people a chance to represent people,” she said.

The singer also appealed to the legal community to intervene, saying some of her campaign agents remain in detention.

“I wish to ask the lawyers who are here that you are our only hope. Many of my agents remain in custody,” she said.