LoP Ssenyonyi’s Leadership Hangs By A Thread, Opposition MPs Revolt
Nakawa West MP Joel Ssenyonyi, the new Leader of the Opposition (LoP) is facing a serious internal revolt, with many opposition MPs expressing frustration and disillusionment with his “dictatorial style of leadership.”
The revolt is largely attributed to his failure to engage with MPs, imposing decisions without consultation, and disrespecting their views.
Since taking office nine months ago, Ssenyonyi has yet to find time to convene a formal meeting to discuss his agenda or engage MPs on the opposition’s strategy, which has left MPs in the dark about the direction of the opposition and their role in the struggle against the ruling government.
The LoP’s leadership approach is characterized by issuing orders and directives without “satisfactory explanation or consultation with MPs”, who are his major stakeholders in his leadership, and this has created resentment among MPs, who feel treated like “children rather than equals.”
The situation came to a head recently when over 40 MPs of 107 MPs from various 6-party opposition including his shadow Ministers, defied the LoP’s order and attended regional parliamentary sittings in Gulu, despite a directive by Ssenyonyi refusing all opposition MPs to attend any of the four planned regional sittings spread across the fiscal year.
The shadow Ministers who went to attend Gulu sitting against LoP’s stance include; Santa Akot (Special Regions), Lucy Akello (East Africa Affairs), Okin PP Ojara (Science and Technology), Gilbert Oulanya (Chairperson PAC Local Government), and Dr. Abed Bwanika (Chairperson, Committee on Government Assurances)
Those who defied the directive argued that the LoP failed to convene an opposition caucus to develop a consensus, instead imposing his will on them.
Before traveling to Gulu, Mityana South MP Richard Lumu (DP), said, “I hate being governed like cows or goats like I cannot think for myself. He [Ssenyonyi] made a directive, not guidance, which should have resulted in consensus,” Lumu said, “you cannot sit and come out to say, as Cabinet, we resolved.”
Lumu who unsuccessfully petitioned Ssenyonyi on the need to convene an opposition caucus, said that a directive was just for LoP’s NUP, excluding the other opposition parties which he should also lead.
“For example, JEEMA and PPP have one MP each. In DP, we have 9 MPs, UPC has 11 MPs, FDC has 35 and NUP has 57. What should have been right for the shadow cabinet to sit, conceive the idea, and then bring it to the opposition caucus for the final decision other than the other way round,” he said.
Ntebbe Municipality’s Mbwatekamwa Kakembo (NUP), said, “We cannot be ordered not to go for regional Parliamentary sittings without justifications. The LoP has no choice, but to learn how things are done. He should reflect on the best modalities of leading mature people at the level of Honorable Members of Parliament.”
Vacuum
The LoP’s failure to engage with MPs has created a power vacuum, with some MPs taking it upon themselves to fill the gap. This has led to a lack of accountability and transparency, making it difficult to hold the ruling government which enjoys the overwhelming majority in Parliament accountable beyond the rhetorical “our cardinal role is to keep government in check” by LoP Ssenyonyi.
Furthermore, the LoP’s dictatorial approach has also led to a lack of unity and harmony among opposition MPs, considering that his leadership style has created divisions and mistrust, making it difficult to achieve any meaningful success in their difficult task.
Currently, Ssenyonyi is fighting multiple wars, both within and outside parliament, largely anchored on blind “opposition for the sake of opposing” without a “clear strategy or direction to enable him to achieve them.”
Onlookers suggest LoP’s lack of clearheaded strategies makes his rhetorical wars nothing but missteps. One of the LoP’s huge missteps was the blanket announcement opposing regional parliamentary sittings. While appearing on BBS TV, Dr. Siraje Nsanja, a renowned political suggested that instead of boycotting, these regional sittings could have been used to expose the failures of the ruling government to the people in various regions, thus losing “politically.”
“The decision [not to attend regional sittings] by the opposition has beaten them politically. They needed to be there to avoid one-sided information from the NRM yet it should have been the opposition’s role to offer alternatives during the regional sittings,” Nsanja said, “opposition made us a disservice in failure to critically take a decision, maturely.”
He explained, “the political strategies are about perceptions not necessarily the real issues. So, the NRM made its strategy as if they took the whole of Uganda to Gulu for people there which excited the north to the extent that the parliament and the entire government are being perceived as heroes by local people because it had never happened before, giving NRM an upper hand over the opposition.”
He opines, “if it was a court judgment, it’s unfortunate that the opposition [which is a party to the case] chose not to appear in court…they would have used it to tell the people in the north what they would do for them if they were in power capitalizing on the regime’s failures.”
Self-Isolation
Instead, the LoP’s stance only served to further isolate him from his colleagues from the “wider opposition in parliament to remain with coward NUP MPs.”
Some MPs accuse LoP of “over-reliance on his NUP party president” [Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine, who is outside parliament, “for direction has created a perception that he is not in charge.”
“This has further eroded trust among MPs, who feel that the LoP is merely a puppet of his party president,” one MP said.
Speaking to CBS radio on August 30th, 2024, MP Kakembo echoed this sentiment.
“The situation in parliament is paradoxical because the LoP does not view MPs from other opposition parties as their leader and the MPs do not see him as part of them,”Kakembo said, You have a LoP who comes with views and makes orders without involving us…he is not accountable to us, but to the one [Kyagulanyi] who appoints him. That is why he shows up with chits and reads it for us to implement.”
Remedy
Stung by Ssenyonyi’s consistent imposition of personal will through decrees, opposition MP Lumu has already secured leave of Parliament to amend the Administration of Parliament Act, to change the mode of electing the LoP to avoid a similar situation in future.
In his Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2024, Lumu seeks to have an elected LoP by all opposition MPs in Parliament, rather than being appointed by the president of the leading opposition party per the status quo.
Section 8 cap 272 of the Administration of Parliament Act, provides for the election of the leader of the opposition by the party in opposition to the government having the greatest numerical strength in Parliament.
Lumu who is being seconded by Kakembo, argues that the amendment would cure the undemocratic selection of LoP, making him accountable to the MPs who elected him than an individual. They also want to include a clause that elaborates on how a LoP can be removed in case of misconduct.
The same changes are needed to be made on the chief opposition whip.
“I think the amendment will cure unprincipled and disrespectful ways of leading opposition MPs. Someone cannot just bulldoze us without involving mature people as children. Leadership is for wise people which should be left by unwise people because it needs building cohesion with different people of different backgrounds and natures,” Kakembo said.
As the revolt grows bigger every day, both Bobi Wine and Ssenyonyi remain defiant, with the LoP saying he is not ready to shift his approach.
However, so far, one thing is clear: the LoP’s dictatorial leadership approach has failed, and a change is needed to restore unity and effectiveness to the opposition lest his leadership is hanging by a thread because his adamancy may lead to his downfall, and a new leadership may emerge to take the opposition forward.