Anger Protest Against Corruption Hooks LoP As “Joel 1.7Bn Piglets Are Dropped At NUP

In an unprecedented move, protestors, on Monday dropped piglets in front of the opposition party offices to demonstrate against the “corrupt leader of the opposition,” Joel Ssenyonyi who is alleged to have accepted a Shs1.7bn.

This act is unusual because protests against corruption have always targeted government officials, not opposition leaders.

On the dropped five (5) piglets, the protestors inscribed the name (Joel 1.7bn) to signify their targeted leader, along with the amount of money he allegedly pocketed.

This came at a time when the police were trying to thwart a press conference organized by the leading opposition party ahead of a planned #March2Parliament protest organized by citizens who say are “colorless, partless, tribeless, religionless”, but only unified by their goal to defeat corruption.

Citizens are saying that corruption is a cancer that needs to be rooted out for the country to see changes.

As pressure mounts on the LoP who is also the party spokesperson, a section of citizens is concerned by the conspicuous of the National Unity Platform (NUP) president on the matter.

Kyagulanyi, known for swiftly acting on party members suspected of corruption, has not spoken out against the accusations. Citizens are now questioning whether he is practicing a selective application of party values.

It is noteworthy, that in February 2024, the same party president came out with all the might to publicly pursue the former Leader of Opposition Mathias Mpuuga, acting on information extracted from social media. He swore never to protect anybody Ugandans accused of being corrupt “even if you are my brother or friend, I will deal with you, decisively.”

Sensing goal-post shifting on Kyagulanyi’s part, elders from Masaka have since come out to express their opinion, calling for the accused Ssenyonyi to be relieved of his duties. They say his ‘corrupt’ tendencies have tainted the party and its leader’s credibility within and outside the country.

For weeks now, social media has been in a frenzy with its users mounting intense pressure on LoP Ssenyonyi to either explain himself on the matter or resign before he sinks further.

Under the #SsenyonyiMustResign, social media anti-corruption crusades have even made T-shirts, billboards, mocking videos, and animations, all customized to Ssenyonyi.

Although he is known to be an instant responder to issues, the accused LoP Ssenyonyi has yet to speak about the issue of the piglets being dropped with his name. The protest has brought attention to the need for accountability and transparency in leadership, and it remains to be seen how the situation will unfold.