The Nyendo-Mukungwe MP Mathias Mpuuga threatens to drag party leader Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, and MP Allan Ssewanyana to court over statements made at a May 6, 2025, press briefing that he claims defamed him by implicating him in the arrest and detention of Ssewanyana and the late Kawempe North MP Muhammad Ssegirinya.
During the heated press conference at the party’s headquarters in Makerere- Kavule, Kyagulanyi and Ssewanyana made comments suggesting that Mpuuga may have had a hand or turned a blind eye in the politically motivated arrests of the two legislators in 2021.
In response, Mpuuga issued a stern statement condemning what he described as “false, malicious, and defamatory accusations” and demanded an immediate apology and public retraction.
“This attempt to taint my name and rewrite the painful history of persecution we all endured is not only false, it is defamatory,” said Mpuuga. “If they do not retract and apologize, I will have no choice but to pursue legal redress.”
Mpuuga also used the opportunity to address what he called the “performative sympathy” shown by some party members during Ssegirinya’s prolonged illness.
“Some people abandoned the late Muhammad Ssegirinya while he was suffering in hospital. Apart from his family, few offered genuine support—some visitors only came seeking allowances or taking selfies for media attention, which has sadly become a trend,” Mpuuga remarked.
The explosive claims come at a time when NUP is grappling with internal friction ahead of the 2026 elections. The party has recently cracked down on what it calls undisciplined members, vowing not to support those deemed disloyal.
With political tensions rising, the dispute is likely to trigger wider debates within opposition ranks about accountability, party loyalty, and leadership conduct in Uganda’s high-stakes political arena.
