After over 30 years in politics, and having lost both the race for Member of Parliament Bukoto Central, Former Vice President of Uganda, Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi seems to be enjoying life in retirement.
In a short video, Former Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Sekandi is seen leading a group of people we later learnt are close peers as they performed rituals on a new car a -Toyota Land Cruizer V8, reportedly given to him as part of his retirement package from government.
In 45 seconds video, Sekandi and seven others- all holding beer bottles in their hands, are seen walking around the car and dripping some of the contents on each of it’s four tyres.
It was later established that all this happened at Pope Paul Hotel, Ndeeba, which he owns.
Former Vice President Edward Ssekandi and his friends blessing his new retirement ride with beer. What is your say?? pic.twitter.com/HlOTKTBSH3
— Sudhir Byaruhanga (@Sudhirntv) September 18, 2021
A source who participated in the rituals told us that the ritual in the video was part of several other “important” ceremonies the group conducted that day, all intended to invoke spiritual powers to grant Sekandi safe retirement.
The group is also heard saying “It’s now finished”.
A politician and lawyer, Sekandi (81), has been Vice President of Uganda since 24 May 2011 and occupied the country’s second most important office of the Vice President for a record 10 years, 2 ahead of former VP Dr Specioza Wandira Kazibwe in second place.
He has variously been ridiculed by the public for being too dead silent, making some people to forget that the country actually has a Vice President. Monthly social media reminders of “Ssekandi is still the VP of Uganda” have gained popularity on the various social media platforms especially tweeter and Facebook with regard to his public rarity.
With the President doing almost all the most important errands himself, rarely delegating to his Vice, Ssekandi resorted to eating his big cake for the office and dosing all the way to and from the legislature where he was the lucky representative for Bukoto Central.
This was until he was dropped from Cabinet list in June this year, and after the January parliamentary elections for MP Bukoto Central, which he lost to a young Eng. Richard Sebamala.
Sekandi took over from Dr Gilbert Bukenya, the man whose rumoured appetite for the top seat drowned him into hot soup and a disgraceful sacking. It is believed, Sekandi’s tenure was most likely to be short-lived unless he played his political cards with caution so as not to rouse his boss’s suspicion and an early sacking.