MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I For the first time in a long while, Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda has openly questioned the leadership credentials of Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) and the direction of his party, the National Unity Platform (NUP).
Speaking through the media, the outspoken legislator accused NUP of turning Parliament into a breeding ground for “political amateurs.” He cited the late Kawempe North MP Muhammad Ssegirinya as an example, saying that although he personally liked and defended him, Ssegirinya was never fit to serve as an MP.
“One time Ssegirinya even knelt before me in tears after he was denied money for treatment abroad. I told him a man should never kneel or cry in public, no matter the challenge,” Ssemujju recalled.
He added that leadership requires specialization, drawing from his experience as former Opposition Chief Whip when he was asked to replace Bugweri MP Abdu Katuntu with the then Kawempe South MP Mubarak Munyagwa.
“I felt ashamed by such instructions and refused to carry them out,” he said.
While acknowledging that NUP has some brilliant MPs like Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi, Ssemujju wondered why the party has not abandoned the practice of fronting unprepared individuals unless, he suggested, its leaders fear exposing their own weaknesses.
According to Ssemujju, flooding Parliament with unqualified legislators risks dragging the country further into crisis.
“Uganda is the only nation we have. We must handle it with diligence, not reduce leadership to a joke,” he emphasized.
When asked directly whether Bobi Wine himself qualifies to be President given his background as a musician, Ssemujju dodged a straight answer but argued that governance requires much more than charisma.
“Being President and having masanyalaze (electricity or hype) are two very different things. You can excite crowds and still fail to govern a nation or handle any serious leadership responsibility,” he said.
Ssemujju, who is seeking a fourth term as Kira Municipality MP, will face off with NUP’s George Musisi in the forthcoming elections. His latest remarks mark one of the sharpest internal opposition criticisms of Bobi Wine in recent months — raising questions about whether NUP’s popular wave can withstand scrutiny on governance competence.
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