Ugandan politics was set ablaze this morning after fiery remarks from outspoken opposition lawmaker Hon. Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, who accused the government of reducing Parliament to a “rubber stamp” for shady contracts and boldly associated ruling party MPs to “robots.”
Appearing on Capital FM’s popular political talk show #TheCapitalGang, Ssemujju didn’t mince his words, criticising the government’s shady practices of signing massive contracts behind closed doors, only informing Parliament after the deals are done.
During a heated panel discussion on Saturday, Hon. Ssemujju Nganda, who represents Kira Municipality, dropped a blow.
“I am opposed to the way government involves Parliament in the signing of all these contracts. They just come to us when everything is done that you review. And you know these NRM MPs are like robots!”
Ssemujju’s mocking criticism touches a raw nerve about the state of democracy and accountability in Uganda.
Ssemujju’s outcry is the latest in a string of warnings from civil society and opposition figures, who fear that Uganda is steadily sliding into executive overreach where Parliament becomes a mere formality rather than a genuine check on power.
Uganda’s Constitution envisions Parliament as an independent arm of government, critical in overseeing state contracts, loans and investments. However, if Parliamentarians are sidelined and expected to blindly “approve,” the very fabric of democracy is at stake.
With public anger rising and opposition MPs promising to resist being “used as rubber stamps,” the spotlight is now squarely on Parliament’s Speaker Anita Among and the ruling NRM leadership.
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