Kalungu West Member of Parliament, Joseph Ssewungu, has strongly criticized fellow opposition MPs, led by the Democratic Party’s Honorable Richard Lumu, who proposed a motion advocating for the Leader of the Opposition (LOP) to be elected by all members of parliament.
Ssewungu labeled the MPs supporting the motion as “rotten,” arguing that the National Unity Platform (NUP) — Uganda’s leading opposition party — does not see itself as merely an opposition party.
He insisted that the NUP, through its leader Honorable Robert Kyagulanyi, won the 2021 presidential election and would be in power if not for alleged election rigging by President Yoweri Museveni.
The proposed motion has created a stir within the Ugandan parliament, coming at a time when the current Leader of the Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, who also serves as NUP spokesperson, is at odds with Speaker of Parliament Anita Among.
Ssenyonyi recently opposed the parliamentary regional sittings, arguing that the initiative was a ploy by the Speaker and her team to misuse taxpayer money under the pretense of bringing parliament closer to the people to address their issues directly.
This motion was introduced just one day after Speaker Among criticized Honorable Skikubo for attempting to raise his objections about an earlier motion rejected by the Speaker. Among dismissed Skikubo’s concerns, stating they were only appropriate for discussion in Kampala and that the only relevant topics for the session in Gulu pertained to Northern Uganda.
The motion and the Speaker’s remarks have sparked mixed reactions among concerned Ugandans, raising questions about the balance of power in parliament and whether the focus on regional issues genuinely addresses the pressing concerns of Northern Uganda.
The debate highlights the deepening political rifts and competing interests within the Ugandan political landscape.
