Former SC Villa president Immanuel Ben Misagga has ruled himself out of the race for the club presidency ahead of the elections scheduled for March 22, citing concerns about the credibility of the electoral process.
In an exclusive interview with Kawowo Sports, Misagga dismissed earlier reports suggesting that he had picked nomination forms through an agent to contest for the top seat at the record Ugandan champions.
The outspoken football administrator clarified that he would only consider standing if the process was transparent and fair to all candidates.
“I can’t be part of an election process that is clearly not transparent,” Misagga stated. “The vetting committee has already demonstrated partiality toward one candidate, and no sensible person would willingly participate under such circumstances.”
Reports indicate that the club’s Board of Trustees is responsible for vetting candidates. However, Misagga questioned the committee’s neutrality, pointing to the public stance of its chairperson, Gerald Ssendaula, whom he claims has openly campaigned for the incumbent president.
According to Misagga, investing heavily in such a process would not make sense.
“It would be foolish to spend 100 million shillings on a process like that. For that reason, I am not standing,” he added, firmly denying that he had submitted nomination forms through any representative.
As it stands, the current club president Omar Ahmed Mandela alongside Farouq Meywa, Denis Ssebugwawo Mbidde and Simeon Buleezi Kawuma are expected to return their nomination forms before the March 7 deadline.
Misagga has a long history with the club’s leadership politics. In 2005, he contested for the presidency against Fred Guy Kawuma, who later withdrew from the race.
The development would have left Misagga unopposed, but the club elders nullified the process and reinstated Franco Mugabe to continue serving until around 2009, when Fred Muwema eventually took over.
Nearly a decade later, Misagga achieved his ambition when he assumed the presidency of SC Villa in 2014.
His tenure lasted until 2018, when he fell out with Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) over what the federation described as administrative irregularities.
When Mandela took charge of the club in 2021, Misagga briefly returned to the club’s leadership after being appointed to the executive committee. However, their working relationship deteriorated, leading to his departure just a year later.
