Our Reporter
Former Villa president Ben Misagga has issued a warning to Gerald Ssendaula, the club board chairman, claiming that the club has broken its own rules and national football laws regarding the disputed presidency of Hajji Omar Ahmed Mandela.
According to Misagga, Mandela’s four-year term as president of the club officially ended on November 13, 2025. The notice says that there is no valid document, publication, or minutes from the Villa Members Trust (VMT) or club congress that allow an extension of his term. Ssendaula is therefore accused of continuing to recognise Mandela as the sitting president and doing official club business with him. The notice calls this “illegal,” “inconsistent with governing laws,” and “a total abuse of office.”
Misagga, a VMT member, has made a list of demands through his lawyer, Ibrahim Kasiko. Ssendaula is told to stop all presidential business with Mandela right away and to provide a full transparency package. This includes all meeting minutes, attendance records, and documents that would support his continued authority and his dealings with the former president. He must also officially notify the relevant parties that the presidency is vacant in order to begin the election process.
The demands include a full financial and operational audit of the club’s recent history. Ssendaula is told to share all of the club’s inventory, accounts, and records of activities during Mandela’s entire term. He is also instructed to give a full account of the money received from the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) and to share detailed membership lists for both the club and the VMT since 2021. He must also provide proof of the current CEO’s and president’s membership status, as well as a verified list of the Board of Trustees.
The most important demand is the submission of any document that extends Mandela’s term, along with minutes that support it, or an official statement that no such authorisation exists.
Efforts to reach Ssendaula were futile, as his known number did not go through.
Misagga says that if these demands are not met within 14 days, legal action will be taken immediately. According to his lawyers, their client is “determined to institute proceedings against [Ssendaula] for abuse of office and false accounting,” pursuing everyone involved in what they call “the illegalities tarnishing the reputation of the club.”
The notice, which was also sent to the Minister of Education and Sports, the Permanent Secretary, and the president of FUFA, among others, signals a high-stakes showdown that could change how Uganda’s most successful football club is run and led.
