The burial ceremony of former Kawempe North MP Muhammad Ssegirinya on Sunday 12th January 2025 highlighted the deep divisions within Uganda’s opposition and underscored the tension within the National Unity Platform (NUP).
In Butale village, Masaka District Ssegirinya’s send-off became less about honoring the vocal advocate for the underprivileged and more about the simmering rifts within Uganda’s polarized political landscape.
What should have been a solemn and unifying occasion turned chaotic as NUP leaders and Parliament representatives clashed over the burial arrangements. Parliament had proposed a formal send-off, complete with police pallbearers and a designated playground near Ssegirinya’s parental home.
National Unity Platform leaders, however, rejected the plan, accusing the government of politicizing the burial. The result was two competing ceremonies, symbolizing the broader mistrust in opposition forces.
The NUP Leader Robert Kyagulanyi presided over one function, and Mathias Mpuuga, the former Leader of the Opposition, presided over the other.
By dawn, mourners from across the country had gathered, eager to pay their last respects to a man celebrated for his fearless advocacy.
However, the atmosphere turned tense when NUP supporters physically blocked police pallbearers from accessing the Parliament’s designated venue. The heavy deployment of security forces only served to heighten tensions.
The arrival of NUP leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, aka Bobi Wine, electrified the crowd. His supporters’ chants of defiance underscored the deep dissatisfaction of having two funeral functions.
Caught in the crossfire were Ssegirinya’s grieving family members. Sauda Maddada, popularly known as “Gen Maddada,” led a group of supporters in confronting security forces, further escalating the chaos.
John Bosco Kasagga, Ssegirinya’s brother, expressed dismay at the unfolding events. “The party reached out to the family, and we honored their request to take the body to their headquarters, but we were surprised by the confusion they created,” he said.
Amid the turmoil, Sheikh Isa Mbaziira, deputy leader of the Masaka Muslim community, urged mourners to put a side their differences and focus on giving Ssegirinya a dignified send-off. “I condemn discussions about the vacant parliamentary seat at this time. Let us give the late Ssegirinya a dignified send-off,” he implored.
Ssegirinya’s brief yet impactful tenure in Parliament was a central theme of the eulogies delivered. Speakers praised his relentless advocacy for the marginalized and his unwavering commitment to justice. However, the political discord surrounding his burial threatened to overshadow his legacy.
Joel Ssenyonyi, Leader of the Opposition, pointedly accused the government of neglecting Ssegirinya during his incarceration.
He said they arrested him on trumped-up charges and denied him bail for medical care.
At about 4 PM, Ssegirinya was finally laid to rest, leaving mourners with a bittersweet sense of closure. His mother’s tearful address encapsulated the day’s emotions. Justine Ssanyu Nakajumba thanked mourners for their support but lamented the divisions that had marred her son’s send-off.
At one point when she thanked Mpuuga for extending support to the family during Ssegirinya’s ordeal, her microphone was muted. Her pleas to take her son’s body to the bigger playground where the parliamentary function was being held was met with jeers from a section of the mourners.
In the end, the dramatic events at the burial of Ssegirinya revealed the fractures within NUP and the opposition’s ongoing struggle to present a unified front against the government.
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