The United Kingdom (UK) Members of Parliament, in a significant political turn of events, have met with Ugandan politician Joel Ssenyonyi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Uganda parliament, to discuss his aspirations for the presidency in 2026.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the London tour of duty event, which took place last week on Friday, September 20, 2024, at Hyde Park Crescent, London W2 2QD.
According to Matthias Mpuuga, former Leader of Opposition in the 11th Parliament, he was overheard at a bar in Kisasi, a suburb in Kampala, discussing the private meeting held by Ssenyonyi on the sidelines of the London tour with the UK MPs.
According to Mpuuga, the meeting took place at the same venue but in a different room at 1500 hours before the official meeting took place at 1700 hours.
Mpuuga shared with a few colleagues at the bar that five members of the UK parliament sought a private meeting with Ssenyonyi, which was led by Lord Henry Campbell Bellingham, Rachel Jane Reeves, Jeremy Richard Streynaham Hunt, David Lindon Lammy, foreign secretary for the UK, and Nigel Paul Farage, a British broadcaster, highlighted their interest in Uganda’s opposition political landscape.
“I got reliable information about this meeting, man, and things are not looking good; we are to experience more tensions in the party; the white man is hell-bent on fronting Ssenyonyi for the opposition presidential bid in 2026,” Mpuuga said.
Ssenyonyi’s meeting with the UK MPs reportedly lasted for two hours.
“I have it on record that our president, Robert Kyagulanyi, was not aware of this meeting and is still not in the know, but he will eventually and then realize how messed up our party is,” Mpuuga noted.
Other sources have indicated that during the meeting the UK MPs applauded Ssenyonyi for being vocal about his vision for Uganda’s future.
They pledged full support for him if he agreed to run as the opposition candidate for the presidency in 2026.
A source further revealed that the discussions focused on key issues facing Uganda, including governance, economic development, and democratic reforms, especially the Anti-Homosexuality Act.
‘The UK MPs expressed their interest in supporting change of government in Uganda and emphasized that they need a man of Ssenyonyi’s capabilities and knowledge to spearhead the opposition in Uganda if the change of government is to be achieved,” the source said.
It is alleged that after the meeting, Ssenyonyi hurriedly left the meeting room and rushed to the entrance of the venue where the London tour of duty was being held to welcome Bobi Wine and behaved like nothing had transpired in the hours before.
The outcome of these discussions could have implications for both Uganda and its opposition should Ssenyonyi agree to vie for the presidency in 2026.