Joel Ssenyonyi, the Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LOP) and Member of Parliament for Nakawa West, has addressed the growing calls for his resignation amidst allegations of accepting a Shs1.7bn bribe. Ssenyonyi firmly denies the accusations, demanding that his accusers present concrete evidence instead of making baseless claims.
One of the most vocal accusers, Dean Lubowa Saava, a former news reporter at NTV Uganda, has used his online platforms to allege that Ssenyonyi, while serving as the chairperson of Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Cosase), accepted Shs1bn to ignore irregularities at the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA).
To protect his reputation, Ssenyonyi has enlisted the help of Pace Advocates, threatening legal action against Saava and another individual, Geoffrey Lukwago, for what he describes as false and malicious allegations. Ssenyonyi has demanded that Saava retract his statements and apologize within 48 hours. However, Saava has refused, claiming to have sufficient information about Ssenyonyi. Meanwhile, the hashtag #SsenyonyiMustResign is gaining traction on the microblogging site X, calling for his resignation.
In his defense, Ssenyonyi stated, “When you fight corruption, it fights back!” He accused his detractors of manipulating figures to align with a Shs1.7bn service award received by Mathias Mpuuga and other commissioners.
“They’re now saying Shs1.7bn because they want it to match the other Shs1.7bn ‘service award,’” Ssenyonyi noted. He challenged his accusers to release the alleged evidence, describing them as “propagandists.”
Ssenyonyi criticized his accusers for their inconsistency, saying, “You can’t say Shs1bn today, Shs1.4bn tomorrow, and then Shs1.7bn the next day. Be organized even as you spread your propaganda.”
Fearing potential peaceful protests at Parliament similar to those against Theodore Ssekikubo, who is advocating for the censure of Mpuuga and other commissioners, Ssenyonyi vowed to continue exposing corruption in Parliament.
“You will now see more ‘protesters’ paraded and ushered into Parliament against particular MPs or other nonsense on social media,” he remarked. “Nonetheless, we shall continue to speak out against corruption by the thieves in Parliament whom you all know very well!”
This is not the first time Ssenyonyi has faced calls for resignation over corruption allegations. In March, activists demanded his resignation over issues related to per diem money for visiting ailing National Unity Platform (NUP) MP Muhammad Ssegirinya in a Nairobi hospital.
Ssenyonyi weathered those calls by returning the excess money and defending his actions in comparison to Mpuuga’s case.
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