Mpuga calls Ssenyonyi an attention seeker

Mathias Mpuuga, the former Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Uganda’s Parliament, has sharply criticized fellow opposition MPs, accusing them of playing for the cameras instead of seriously fighting corruption.

The fight started after opposition lawmakers, led by the current LoP Joel Ssenyonyi, signed a public statement rejecting UGX 100 million that had been allocated to each Member of Parliament through a supplementary budget. The opposition said they were rejecting the money to protest against government corruption. But Mpuuga was not impressed.

In a widely shared video, Mpuuga accused his colleagues of putting on a show to get media attention rather than dealing with the real issues.“I care about serious matters of governance,” Mpuuga said. “When leaders behave like they are acting for drama just to be seen, it’s very sad.”

He specifically attacked Ssenyonyi, who also heads the Public Accounts Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities, and State Enterprises (PAC-COSASE). According to Mpuuga, Ssenyonyi knows very well where public money is misused and should focus on real investigations instead of public stunts.

“If the opposition really wanted to fight corruption, the person leading this drama chairs a key committee that can expose where money is stolen,” Mpuuga added. “Standing before cameras to steal attention is just hypocrisy.”

This clash happens as Uganda’s Parliament faces growing anger over how public funds are used. Mpuuga himself recently came under fire after it was revealed he received a UGX 500 million "service award" when he was still the LoP. Some in his party, the National Unity Platform (NUP), demanded he resign from the Parliamentary Commission because of it.

However, Mpuuga defended the payment, saying it was a normal gratuity approved properly by the Parliamentary Commission, and rejected claims that he was involved in corruption.