Leader of the Opposition in Parliament (LoP), Joel Ssenyonyi, has been re-elected as the National Unity Platform (NUP) spokesperson, defeating fellow party member Allan Ssewanyana during a delegates’ conference held today at the party’s training institute in Kamwokya.
Ssenyonyi, who has served as NUP’s spokesperson for six years, retained the position after a vote by party delegates. Prior to the official formation of NUP, he served for one year as the spokesperson of the People Power Movement, the political pressure group that eventually evolved into the National Unity Platform.
In his post-election remarks, Ssenyonyi noted that the delegates’ conference passed a resolution condemning recent state brutality against the party, including a recent police raid on NUP offices.
Ssenyonyi’s political journey began after he left his job at NTV Uganda, where he was known for hosting political talk shows and delivering hard-hitting interviews. His activism gained prominence during protests against the introduction of an excise duty on social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and others, which were subjected to a daily levy of UGX 200. Mobile money transactions were also hit with a 0.5% excise duty at the time.
From that point, Ssenyonyi became increasingly vocal, frequently questioning and criticizing government policies both on and off the airwaves. His boldness eventually led him into active politics under the People Power Movement and later, the National Unity Platform.
Details to follow.
