By Mulengera Reporters
During the Thursday political debate on Kabaka’s 89.2 CBS fm, NUP Spokesman and LoP Joel Ssenyonyi explained why Joyce Bagala wasn’t given the NUP ticket for Mityana Woman MP job even when she is the incumbent. Ms Proscovia Mukisa aka Nabossa, a film actor, is the one the party has fronted for 2026.
Joel Ssenyonyi rebutted Bagala’s earlier claims made during a TV appearance that her removal was Kavule’s way of avenging her excellent political relationship and friendship with Mathias Mpuuga.
“Hon Joyce Bagala my sister if that was the case, there is no way Hon Veronica Nanyondo would be the flag bearer for Bukomansimbi. There is no way Hon Robert Sekitoleko or even Brenda Nabukenya of Luwero would retain their NUP flags for 2026 if indeed this was a witch-hunt against Rt Hon Mathias Mpuuga’s friends. These are all his very good friends but they each were given the NUP ticket,” clarified Ssenyonyi who earlier on bragged about having four degrees and therefore the most educated person on the Thursday panel.
He proceeded to reveal the real reason why the party top leadership felt hurt and came to the conclusion that Bagala deserved to be sanctioned through the flags-allocation exercise.
“We assigned you the role to head the government assurances committee [deputizing Dr. Abed Bwanika] and when we asked you to leave that role, you refused. You refused to vacate and instead ganged up with the NRM, because of their tyranny of numbers in the House, and you mockingly refused to vacate. That was very bad and it showed lack of respect because you humiliated the [NUP] party top leadership and portrayed them as toothless and powerless actors who couldn’t do anything to you,” Ssenyonyi declared.
Joyce Bagala, who has since denied claims that the Kyagulanyi wave liberated Mityana from the NRM grip, furiously responded exploding into Ssenyonyi’s ears.
“There you go. You [fellow journalist] have again disappointed me just like Hatma. I expected much better from both of you because you are professional journalists just like myself. All along you have been pretending to lie people on Kabaka’s radio that I was dropped because I lacked ground support. Now you have finally told the truth. Thank God, everybody has now understood that my removal had nothing to do with lack of support on the ground but some other considerations, which you have just confirmed right now.”
SSENYONYI VS SEMUJJU:
On the same CBS episode, Ssenyonyi rejected Semujju Nganda’s claims that Parliament is a serious job which should be ring-fenced for highly educated and politically sophisticated actors like Medard Segona.
Ssenyonyi politely informed the Kira Municipality MP that he respects him very much as his senior but he doesn’t agree with his view that MP slots should be preserved for the highly educated who speak good English even when they have been established to be 5th columnists conniving with Museveni’s officials to cut deals in Parliament. “Hon Semujju, there is no way our people are going to accept voting such people again,” Ssenyonyi said without elaborating.
He likened Mathias Walukagga to Robert Kyagulanyi who intellectuals like Medard Segona initially despised but ended up requiring his endorsement to secure re-election in 2021. He also referred to Mohammed Ssegirinya who he said was despised by intellectuals but ended up rendering effective representation for his people of Kawempe North.
Semujju Nganda disagreed maintaining that it remains his conviction that there are ways through which people like Ssegirinya can serve and propagate the opposition cause better than being deployed in Parliament where they end up being disadvantaged and incapable of contributing much. Ssenyonyi insisted that Ssegirinya had been an effective representative of the Kawempe people, prompting the moderator (Kalule Lameck) to challenge him to name one thing that Ssegirinya delivered for the people of Kawempe through talking in Parliament or using the August house as a platform.
Ssenyonyi added that even when he isn’t fluent in the English language like Medard Segona, Mathias Walukagga has a very creative mind as a musician and there are many things he is going to accomplish in Parliament and eclipse Segona who he implied was politically exhausted having served as MP for 15 years. Semujju Nganda rejected this reasoning and demanded to know why musicians sing or perform first at Kyagulanyi’s rallies whereafter orators like Joel Ssenyonyi are called in to speak and address the crowd.
“If we are indeed all equal and can be good at everything, how come musicians sing and intelligent orators like yourself end up being the ones to address the crowd?” Semujju Nganda roared before proceeding to make it clear that if he had a way to be the one to decide, he would have decreed that political colossuses like Medard Segona, Wilfred Niwagaba, Abdul Katuntu, Asuman Basalirwa and the Ben Wachas of the 6th Parliament remain MPs for their entire life because they are simply too good and hard to replace. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
