Since September 30, Medard Sseggona, the Busiro East MP, has held 23 interviews on radio, television, and various social media channels, according to a count by Bbeg Media.
In all these interviews, he has attempted to justify why he remains the better MP for the constituency compared to Mathias Walukagga, whom the National Unity Platform (NUP) has handed the flag for the 2026 election.
In the same interviews, Sseggona has emphasised that while he will stand as an independent, he will mobilise support for Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, the president of the party that denied him the ticket.
Some may call it the height of confusion for a lawyer, well-drilled in the art of public speaking, but others see signs of desperation for someone trying to cling to a seat he has occupied for the last 15 years.
“What didn’t I do for NUP?” he asked rhetorically when he appeared on NBS TV’s Barometer political talk show.
This weekend, Sseggona has announced that he will lead a community clean-up in Nakasozi town, Buddo—an unusual move for a man known more for courtroom battles than engaging in grassroots chores.
After 15 years in Parliament, why does he seem so eager to hold on?
On his part, Sseggona says he played a pivotal role in NUP’s formation, so the party is like his baby. He helped draft the party’s constitution and fought legal cases to allow NUP supporters to wear their signature red berets and to fend off Moses Kibalama, who was claiming ownership of the party.
Kyagulanyi has said it was Sseggona who convinced him to stand for the presidency in 2021 when he was not confident of his political abilities.
His supporters praise him as a brilliant debater and intelligent strategist, capable of holding the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) accountable. Yet, detractors label him arrogant and aloof, accusing him of being out of touch with ordinary voters.
Sseggona, who had expected the nod given his seniority, was stunned when the party chose Walukagga. In interviews, he revealed that the vetting process felt flawed and disorganised. He claimed NUP leaders had long plotted to sideline him and other ex-DP members, even before the scandal involving former NUP deputy president Mathias Mpuuga, who was accused of corruption.
In Ugandan politics, long-serving MPs often become fixtures, enjoying perks, influence, and public recognition. Losing a seat can mean fading into obscurity, especially for someone like Sseggona, whose identity is tied to his parliamentary role.
Critics argue he’s clutching at broken straws—grasping at anything to stay relevant, and his gamble to stand as an independent will not pay off.
Sseggona’s desperation may also stem from unfinished business in the House, but deep down, it could be about ego. Having helped build NUP, being overlooked feels like betrayal.
Moreover, running independently while supporting Kyagulanyi seems contradictory. Why endorse NUP’s presidential candidate after the party rejected you? Some see it as hypocrisy, a way to hedge bets and avoid burning bridges. Others view it as strategic: mobilising for Kyagulanyi keeps Sseggona in the opposition fold, potentially winning favour if NUP gains power. But it risks confusing voters—why back a party that “pushed you out”?
His supporters never tire of telling everyone about his brilliance. There is no denying that, as a lawyer, he has won key cases for the opposition, including freeing Kyagulanyi from detention after the Arua debacle in 2018. It can also be said that in Parliament, his sharp questions have exposed the government’s flaws, earning him respect as an intelligent force alongside opposition MPs like Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, Muwanga Kivumbi, and Asuman Basalirwa.
Yet his arrogant posture and signature “disdainful look” whenever he is responding to criticism can be off-putting. In interviews, he has dismissed Walukagga as “low class” and “not presentable,” fuelling accusations of elitism. This arrogance, critics say, may have contributed to his ticket denial by NUP, which might prefer approachable candidates like Walukagga to broaden its appeal.
For now, Sseggona’s media interviews may rally supporters, but his tone reveals a degree of desperation. Running as an independent while backing Kyagulanyi for president may sound strategic, but it shows someone trying to clutch at broken straws.
