By Aggrey Baba
Kira Municipality MP and People’s Front for Freedom’s (PFF) Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda has shrugged off growing criticism about his performance, telling voters that they are attacking the wrong person and misunderstanding what an MP is meant to do.
Appearing on NBS TV’s Face Off show on Sunday, the outspoken legislator defended his long stay in Parliament and dismissed claims that he has failed to develop Kira’s infrastructure.
The discussion sharpened when host Canary Mugume pressed him (Ssemujju) to explain what exactly he has done to change Kira since 2001, the year he first entered Parliament. For a moment, Mugume’s question echoed the same concerns that many of Ssemujju’s critics have repeated, that roads, schools and health facilities in Kira still need work, yet the MP has been in office for nearly a quarter of a century.
Ssemujju responded directly, saying the public must stop confusing roles, insisting that MPs don’t build roads, hospitals or schools. He argued that an MP’s job is national and legislative, not engineering or construction. According to Ssemujju’s argument, expecting an MP to construct roads is like expecting a goalkeeper to come out and score goals (the wrong duty assigned to the wrong person).
He said that from his first campaign, he has never promised to build any physical infrastructure. His pledges, he said, were about legislation, governance and strengthening national accountability. According to him, the responsibility for building roads, health centres and schools belongs to government and local councils, not the legislator.
“You can’t crucify me for not constructing roads, hospital, and schools. I’m not a councilor. My role is to legislate, he said.”
Ssemujju urged voters to choose MPs based on their ability to legislate, debate and understand policy, not on who attends more burials or gives more handouts at community events. He explained that Parliament is a place that demands hard reading, complex debate and national focus, arguing that Uganda risks weakening its democracy when voters treat MPs like charity givers instead of national policymakers.
On accusations that he has overstayed in Parliament, Ssemujju pushed back strongly, saying he is not in Parliament simply to occupy space but to continue fighting for political change. He likened his situation to former South African President Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison yet led for only one term. Mandela’s long stay in the struggle, he said, was necessary, and the same applies to him.
Ssemujju argued that stepping down while Museveni and the NRM system he opposes are still in power would be like a runner abandoning the race when the finishing line is still far away. He insisted that he can’t retire until the change he has fought for becomes a reality.
But his remarks land at a time when political pressure around him is rising. Ssemujju faces stiff competition from NUP-backed city lawyer George Musisi, who has quickly become a favourite among footsoldiers. Many in Kyagulanyi’s camp accuse Ssemujju of overstaying, and they argue that it is time for new leadership in Kira.
Despite serving as the shadow minister of finance in Kyagulanyi’s shadow cabinet, Ssemujju has often had a rocky relationship with the leading opposition party. He has repeatedly criticised Kavule’s organisation and readiness for national leadership, remarks that have not gone down well with footsoldiers. For many of them, the 2026 election is the chance to show that NUP can unseat even longstanding opposition figures.
Ssemujju’s comments on Face Off therefore came at a tense moment, as the people of Kira prepare for what may be the constituency’s toughest political contest in years.
After nearly 25 years of representing Kira, the firebrand MP is preparing to defend his record with the same energy that has defined his time in Parliament.
His critics, meanwhile, believe the time has come for a change, arguing that after two decades, the constituency deserves a new face, a fresh voice and a different style of politics.
Ahead of 2026 elections, Kira Municipality has now become one of the constituencies to watch, where an old political fighter is refusing to step aside, and a new political wave is determined to push him out. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
