Populism Over Reasoning: LoP Ssenyonyi’s Trickery Politics Revealed

Since assuming office in January 2024, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) Joel Ssenyonyi has been vocal in criticizing Parliament’s actions without justification, which many observers have described as “opposing for the sake of opposition.”

“It is disappointing to see the leader of opposition [Ssenyonyi] adopting a stance of opposing, without providing constructive justification or alternative solutions,” an observer said, “this approach undermines the credibility of the opposition and hampers meaningful engagement with the government.”

“Instead of playing to the gallery, the LoP should focus on providing thoughtful critique and working towards constructive dialogue to drive progress for the country. The constant grandstanding and populism may win short-term attention, but it ultimately disservices the very people they claim to represent,” another observer said.

Tracing the LoP’s Actions So Far

In January 2024, the Leader of the opposition came at a time when some opposition players led by his party leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine criticized his predecessor Mathias Mpuuga’s “diplomatic” approach, appeared to be under pressure to change the method of work.

Mpuuga’s critics accused him of a litany of things including speaking “much English” in Parliament yet it is the official parliamentary language, wearing “suits”, aware that it is the acceptable dress code, and accepting the use of Government vehicles and escorts. For this, they asserted, “Mpuuga had become a sell-out to the NRM.”

To solve the problem, Mpuuga was fired by Bobi Wine and replaced with Joel Ssenyonyi, a LoP that would do better than the predecessor, and below, is the list of key actions by Joel.

The LoP’s first assignment was to sit in the Appointments Committee chaired by Speaker Anita Among to approve the appointment of Justice Simon Byabakama-led Electoral Commission Commissioners.

Ssenyonyi’s unchallenged approval of President Museveni’s appointed Commission with almost the same composition that they previously accused of rigging the 2021 presidential elections to deny NUP’s Kyagulanyi the opportunity to take power to organize another set of elections, raised some people’s eyebrows.

Despite claiming to save taxpayers’ money, the LoP Ssenyonyi enjoys lavish benefits, including a squad of escorts, a motorcade convoy, and staff all provided and paid by the Government.

On top of all these, the Government spends an annual budget of Shs2.5bn on the LoP, meaning that the LoP spends an average of Shs8m daily.

Considering the tight situations Ugandans find themselves in, this appears extravagant to be spent by one person in the opposition, but neither the LoP nor his President Kyagulanyi addresses the media about it, yet it is the same taxpayers who shoulder the burden.

Trickery Politics

The LoP has mastered the game of deliberately deceiving and manipulating public opinion rather than engaging in genuine and constructing political discourse, implying a lack of sincerity and instead, focusing on short-term political gain, not honest commitment to serving the public interest.

For the last seven months of his reign, Ssenyonyi has been playing populist politics, skipping important plenary sittings while decisions are made on serious issues, and it was the same practice even when he was the chairperson of the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities, and State Enterprises (COSASE).

To starters, the LoP who often received the most hyped media coverage produced only five (5) reports during his reign spanning two-and-half years.

In 2023, the COSASE chairperson then flew out of the country during the passage of the contentious Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2023.

As the LoP, he skipped the plenary session that passed his would-be maiden budget for the financial year 2024/25. When he came back to the country from his London trip, he was all over the media publicly telling the citizens that he opposed the unprecedented Shs72 trillion budget whose corrigenda amounted to over Shs15 trillion.

When the President returned the Appropriation Bill, 2024 for the first time in the country’s history for “reconsideration,” the LoP flew to Ghana, allowing the President to swiftly move funds from essential sectors where Parliament had placed them back to largely private entities. The same man was quick to inform the nation that they were challenged by NRM’s forest of hands on the floor whereas he was absent.

The LoP opposed the service award to four Parliamentary Commissioners, on grounds that it was “corruption” but supported the award to former Auditor General John Muwanga, a few weeks later.

He claimed to have opposed Muwanga’s award on social media, despite being present in Parliament. It took some social media users’ time to counter him with a video containing his submissions on the floor for him to go silent.

When a section of social media users exhibited his taking per diem for five days when he traveled to Nairobi to visit the ailing Kawempe North’s Muhammad Ssegirinya, and instead went there for just one day, the LoP came out to claim Parliament had ironically wired money for the 5 days yet he had asked for just one day which forced him to refund unspent balance to cover up.

Considering that he was phasing out of media, the LoP now sought to oppose the regional parliamentary sittings, claiming that they are a waste of taxpayers’ money.

The deputy speaker considered his views and invited him along with other parliamentary leaders to harmonize issues, but the LoP failed to attend a meeting without reason. He instead, flew to the USA for the NUP convention using taxpayers’ money

Some people have now come out to say that LoP’s calls to boycott regional Parliamentary sittings which were fully budgeted for and adopted by the business committee of parliament to which he is a member, is “not a genuine concern to save taxpayers’ money, but mere politics.”

These altogether, raise serious questions about the quality of opposition leadership and its populist approach.