he Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LOP), Joel Ssenyonyi has rallied Ugandans to reject fear and speak out against what he described as wrong policies, abductions and illegal detentions orchestrated by the ruling regime.
Addressing journalists at the National Unity Platform headquarters in Makerere Kavule on Wednesday, September 30th, 2026, Ssenyonyi said Ugandans have a constitutional right to oppose and hold government accountable.
“We have the right to say no to fear. We must come out and condemn policies and actions that are wrong. It is our right to oppose what seems not right to us,” Ssenyonyi said.
He accused the current regime of intolerance to divergent views, noting that even members within the ruling NRM are being silenced for thinking differently.
“The current regime hates those with different schools of thought, and it’s not all about opposition, but even some people in the ruling regime are being silenced from thinking differently,” Ssenyonyi noted, adding that the government is instilling fear in those with dissenting voices.
Ssenyonyi condemned the continued abductions and illegal detentions of opposition supporters, urging citizens to condemn such acts openly.
“Even our forefathers during colonial rule said enough is enough, resisted the colonialists, and demanded self-rule. We should follow in their footsteps and say no more to illegal detention and extrajudicial killings reportedly orchestrated by the ruling regime,” he said.
Ssenyonyi’s remarks were echoed by Jacklyn Jolly Tukamushaba, the NUP Deputy President in charge of the Western Region, who condemned Members of Parliament who have endorsed the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) for the next presidential term.
Tukamushaba said the Constitution forbids a serving military officer from contesting for political office and asked MPs to defend the Constitution. She claimed some opposition MPs had appended signatures in the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) endorsement book for the CDF.
Acting party president Baptist Nambeshe welcomed former Butambala County MP Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi back from prison, noting that the regime can imprison the body, but it can’t imprison the spirit or the wave of change.
Muwanga Kivumbi, the NUP Deputy President for Buganda, thanked his comrades for demanding his release and vowed to speak for the voiceless, revealing that when the children of Israel conquered fear and replaced it with faith, they conquered their enemies.
