Ssekikuubo Removed from Museveni’s Rally After Dispute with Kutesa

April 28, 2025 | XTRAfrica

In Sembabule Town Council, Uganda, a tense moment happened on Sunday when MP Theodore Ssekikuubo of Lwemiyaga County disrupted a rally where President Yoweri Museveni was speaking.

Trouble started shortly after Sam Kutesa, the former Foreign Affairs Minister and a known rival of Ssekikuubo, gave a speech urging everyone to unite and support Museveni’s sole candidacy in the next elections.

Kutesa had just called Hon. Hanifa Kawooya, the State Minister for Health (General Duties) and Mawogola West MP, to the stage when Ssekikuubo suddenly moved toward the podium, trying to grab the microphone.

Witnesses said Kutesa tried to stop him and warned, “Ssekikuubo, please don’t do this.” But Ssekikuubo insisted he had the right to speak. This led to security officers stepping in and removing him from the rally in front of the President and the crowd.

After the incident, Ssekikuubo spoke to journalists, saying he wanted to tell the President about the problems facing his constituents. He accused some people of planning to block him from raising real issues affecting Sembabule residents.

“There’s a clear plan to push me out as MP and stop me from speaking about our people’s struggles,” he said.

Despite the clash, the rally continued. President Museveni focused his speech on improving agriculture through better land use. He stressed the importance of irrigation and planting pastures to help farmers deal with long droughts and ensure steady food and milk production.

Museveni encouraged farmers to follow the Four-Acre Model: planting coffee, fruits, pasture for livestock, and food crops for home use on separate acres. He explained that with good land use, even small farmers could create wealth, and those with bigger land could expand even more.

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The President praised Hon. Shartsi Musherure Kutesa, the MP for Mawogola North, for her efforts in promoting wealth creation, contrasting her work with what he called “mere politicking” by others.

“I saw coffee farms and milk collection centers on my way here,” Museveni said. “But now, we need to add irrigation and pasture planting to complete the plan.”

Hon. Musherure thanked the President for programs like the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, improved electricity, and water supply. She promised to keep pushing for more projects to lift people out of poverty.

Earlier in the event, Kutesa had warned the ruling NRM party members against fighting among themselves, saying divisions could weaken the party and allow enemies to take advantage.

“We must stand united behind President Museveni if we want to secure our future,” Kutesa stressed.

Hon. Kawooya also thanked Museveni for focusing on economic empowerment and promised that local leaders in Sembabule would continue supporting government projects to fight poverty.

While the rest of the rally ended without more drama, the morning fight left many political watchers thinking about the serious tensions that still exist within Sembabule’s NRM leadership.