HEADLINE: Uganda Is Not Museveni’s Private Estate”: Former MP Ssemujju Nganda Slams Succession Deal-Making, Warns Government Officials in Sinking Boat

KAMPALA / IN EXILE — Former Kira Municipality Member of Parliament and veteran politician Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda has launched a scathing attack on politicians advocating for a negotiated presidential transition, describing demands for President Yoweri Museveni to anoint a successor as “stupidity of the highest order.”

Speaking in an exclusive interview addressing the country’s turbulent political landscape, the outspoken former legislator emphasized that Uganda belongs to its 45 million citizens, not to the ruling family or a political elite searching for post-Museveni immunity.

Ssemujju also fired a warning shot at high-ranking officials within the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government, warning that internal purges and unbridled power moves—including recent threats by General Muhoozi Kainerugaba against Vice President Jessica Alupo—prove that no one inside the current regime is safe.

Below is the full transcript of former MP Ssemujju Nganda’s political address and assessment of the nation.

READ: Full Transcript of Ssemujju Nganda’s Statement

“It is stupid, stupidity of the highest order for anyone to demand that Museveni must anoint a successor, either pick a friend or someone who has been in the system.

We need to create rules, and the rules will determine who comes. I mean, we can’t be a country that begins negotiating who now takes over the presidency. Now, tomorrow, who takes over the vice presidency? Let’s just create the rules. The rules will determine that very, very easily.

Tomorrow it might be Ssemujju. After one term he is chased, then you have another one. Even Muhoozi can be part of the processing. So my demand cannot be that we negotiate who takes over after Museveni. I am only demanding that we turn to a constitutional path. The moment we are there, then that process will be the one to bring a person and remove a person. Once a country has achieved that, then you are sure that the economy will grow because investors will be certain that when you invest in a country like that, you are sure of the future.

So I am not joining those who are saying we should sit with Museveni and negotiate who takes over from him. I am only demanding, and I want to invite people—that should be the demand of the country—that we set rules and subject ourselves and subordinate ourselves to those rules.

The rules will determine; you will never know who will come, you will be shocked. You can wake up and you have Imam Kasozi as the President of Uganda, or someone else you are not even thinking about. So we shouldn’t be negotiating, cutting deals, that you see this system has been around for a very long time, they need to find someone to give them comfort. Please, this is not an estate of Museveni or his family or anyone else. This is a country belonging to 45 million people. We should give them…

First of all, we are in a very difficult situation. Those who are inside NRA, including those serving in the government, they are as vulnerable as all of us.

I have been following what Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba is tweeting about the Vice President, Jessica Alupo, and he’s threatening that ‘I will arrest Jessica Alupo.’ He even has accusations ready for her.

This is something I have said before; I am just repeating myself: In a sinking boat, there is no safe zone.

Those who think being in government is a safe zone, they will one by one follow us where we are because we collectively had a duty to sort out this mess before we came to this point. But there are colleagues, especially those who are in government, who thought this was our duty alone while they were comfortable in government.

So where I am here, it doesn’t matter because this is not home. I’m not even sure that where I am today is where I’ll be tomorrow. I just want to be home because I am away from home.

So I am here to tell you people, today I am here—I am in Jamaica, I am in Malaysia, I am in Germany, I am wherever. I think all that is not important. What is important is for all of us to make a contribution to free our country, so that you don’t ask me where I am, or where Musumba is, and so on.

These interviews used to happen at Katonga, or at Mukono, or Kira where I used to stay. Now you’re asking me each time, ‘Where are you?’ You should be asking me: ‘When are you coming back?’

And Musumba indicated that you might be coming back, that things are now okay.

One by one, people are going to be targeted. At the moment, you are looking at those who are in the opposition, but even those who are in government are targeted. Who knew that they would be announcing that leaders like Elwelu are on the run? Maybe because he is under some kind of restriction, that’s why he didn’t go out of the country. Now it is Africa.

I think the Alupos were celebrating when forces were rolling Anita Among in the mud, and they thought, ‘Now that that one is removed, I am in my area, in my region, in Teso, I am now the kingmaker.’

After that, they will go for other people until everybody is broken—unless we can collectively push back and push enough. Otherwise, this is my court warning to those who are in government today: you can do a headcount of Ssemujju, Musumba, and others, but your turn is coming.