Firebrand MP Ssemujju Castigates Muwanga’s Narrow Focus

Veteran politician and Kira Municipality MP, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, has cautioned National Unity Platform (NUP) deputy president in charge of Buganda, Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, over his recent controversial statements.

Ssemujju, who has been part of a 7-member group of super Buganda politicians in the region including Betty Nambooze, Muwanga Kivumbi, Mathias Mpuuga, Kasibante Moses, Erias Lukwago, and Medard Sseggona, expressed his concerns while featuring on NBS TV’s Frontline show on April 24, 2025.

Ssemujju was asked to share his views on the recent outbursts that NUP was baying for constituencies in the Buganda region, including those occupied by critical NUP MPs, even if it calls for halting the struggle against President Museveni.

However, Ssemujju castigated Muwanga, affirming that he was too experienced and intelligent to engage himself in petty fights.

“Muwanga Kivumbi, you are a national leader. Do not assign yourself a regional responsibility. You are minimizing your struggle,” Ssemujju cautioned.

He added that Muwanga’s focus on regional issues was not only simplistic but also detrimental to the party’s national outlook.

“You will be too simplistic to think you are going to go it your own way. I was telling a friend, I have watched some clips of the Hon. Muwanga, who is intelligent. He was in politics when I was in the media. He is more experienced than many of us,” Ssemujju said.

Ssemujju emphasized that the demography of Uganda would play a bigger role in the upcoming elections than regional interests. “I think the demography is going to play a bigger role than the regional interests my colleagues have articulated,” he said.

According to Ssemujju, the current political climate requires building alliances, which is a principle in war.

“Before you go to execute a war, the first thing to do is make alliances,” he said, adding that even powerful countries like America prioritize building alliances before going to war.

He then criticized Muwanga’s recent statements, saying that they were not befitting of a national leader.

“Muwanga cannot be regional, especially in the region [Buganda] where you are doing very well. Of course, you need to consolidate, but you need to give hope to other regions because in the past, many of the politicians in Buganda did not have a national outlook,” Ssemujju said.

Ssemujju also criticized Muwanga’s communication strategy, saying that one statement can make or break a politician.

“The communication needs to change because you may think it is simple, but communication is everything in a political season,” he said.

Ssemujju laughed off statements that he was threatened about NUP’s intention to front a candidate against him in Kira Municipality in the forthcoming 2026 elections, saying that he had faced opposition before and was not worried about any party.

“In every election, I have faced opposition. I became an MP there was DP, in the first election, I defeated DP, NRM came third. In the subsequent election, it was the same. In the last election, my vote was 47,000, NUP came second with 16,000, and NRM had 4,000,” Ssemujju said.

However, he expressed his disappointment with Muwanga’s NUP, saying that they were expending a lot of energy in areas where they were almost successful and none in areas where they were almost non-existent.

“I do not worry about the NRM in my constituency, but the trouble is not just focusing on fighting Ssemujju, but expending a lot of energy in areas where you are almost successful, and expending no energy in areas where you are almost non-existent,” Ssemujju expressed his disappointment with Muwanga’s NUP.

Ssemujju also reacted to Muwanga’s statement that NUP aims to win 100 MPs, saying that it speaks to an admission of defeat even before the competition starts.

“If you have 529 MPs and NRM’s machine is generating other constituencies and your target is 100, you have conceded defeat,” Ssemujju said.