Mpuuga Exits as Joel Ssenyonyi Takes Over as LOP Amid Praise and Protest

The Ugandan Parliament witnessed a change of guard in the opposition ranks today, with Joel Ssenyonyi, the National Unity Platform (NUP) spokesperson, taking over from Mathias Mpuuga.

Ssenyonyi, who is also the MP for Nakawa West, was welcomed by the NRM MPs, who praised Mpuuga for his exemplary leadership and urged Ssenyonyi to build on his work.

Speaker Among reminded Ssenyonyi of the Rules of Procedure that require him to make consultations with her office while executing his duties.

Parliament also confirmed the Commissioners for the 11th Parliament, who will serve from January 2024 to May 2026. The opposition will be represented by Mathias Mpuuga, while the NRM will have Afoyachan Esther, Solomon Silwany, and Prossy Akampulira as its commissioners.

However, the approval of the NRM Commissioners was met with some protest by Yorke Alion, the MP for Aringa South County, who questioned the process of selecting them. He claimed that the NRM Party had asked its MPs to apply for the positions of commissioners but did not conduct any elections or primaries to choose them.

“In November, the Government Chief Whip requested MPs from NRM to apply for the position of Commissioners. I am reliably informed that over 200 MPs applied. These MPs (commissioners) were meant to be subjected to an election that hasn’t taken place within the NRM Party. As a party, we also had a resolution in Kyankwanzi to have our commissioners undergo primary elections and then be presented to Parliament,” Alion said.

He added, “There is no way the Government Chief Whip is going to convince us that of all the NRM MPs we have, we only have the three MPs who can serve in the capacity of the Commissioner. There is what we call injustice, there is what we call corruption, and disrespect of the law is taking place on the NRM side. And I want to advise the Government Chief Whip that the step you are taking is going to divide the party.”

The former leader of the opposition, Mathias Mpuuga, who is now a commissioner, thanked the House for the support he received during his tenure and appealed to them to extend the same to his successor. He described Ssenyonyi as a young but reasonable leader who deserves the support of the opposition and the entire Parliament.

“I want to appeal to the House to afford my successor the same support so that the common good is served. Joel Ssenyonyi, young as he is, is very reasonable, and he deserves our support so that we can continue the duty that we have started both as the NUP, a very young party, and also as the opposition in our quest to see a better tomorrow for our children and posterity. So that when history is written, they will have space to say, They met in the House; they were different; they opined differently, but they converged to the centre to put forward the common good,” Mpuuga said.

He also advised Ssenyonyi to communicate effectively, be patient, seek support, and celebrate his successes.

Ssenyonyi, in his maiden speech as the leader of the opposition, paid tribute to Mpuuga for his service and leadership, saying that he led the opposition through difficult times but managed to remain composed. He vowed to use his position to keep the government in check, as mandated by the Rules of Procedure.

“Rule 14(1) of our Rules of Procedure provides that the principle role of the leader of the opposition is to keep the government in check. By God’s grace, I will execute that mandate effectively, and my hope is that we will get support from MPs—not just from this House, but not just my colleagues—to do this work. Because you see, keeping the government in check benefits all of us and is to the benefit of all of us here and the people we designate,” Ssenyonyi said.