Muhammad Ssegirinya
When Muhammed Ssegirinya won Kampala's Kawempe North constituency in 2021, he didn't just win an election. He was stepping into the shoes of Bobi Wine, the Ugandan pop star who ran for president that year and lost.
On Thursday, the lawmaker died in the 11th parliament, his first term. His death was seen as that of a man who couldn't reach the finish line: Uganda is due to hold another general election in early 2026, from where he could have tested his mettle to defend the seat.
Ssegirinya was a member of the opposition National Unity Platform party, led by Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi. The MP died early Thursday afternoon at Lubaga Hospital in the heart of Kampala city.
“With deep sorrow, Lubaga Hospital announces the passing of Hon. Muhammad Ssegirinya, the Honorable Member of Parliament for Kawempe North,” the hospital announced in an official statement.
“On behalf of the hospital, we extend our heartfelt condolences to the Parliament of Uganda, the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, Hon Members of Parliament, his family, and the people of Kawempe North, whom he represented with passion and commitment. We join the nation in mourning a dedicated servant of the people. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” the hospital statement read.
The revelations came hours after a raging debate on his status ensued, touched off by Mr Kyagulanyi’s comments saying he was still alive but brain dead. Medics had said all his body organs had shut down.
Ssegirinya, came to parliament, riding a wave that swept through central Uganda and parts of eastern Uganda where young people aligned to Bobi Wine won the polls in 2021. He spent most of the time oscillating between hospital and prison than in Parliament, however. His contribution to the House has been minimal, having been arrested just weeks after he was elected in January 2021.
A leader from a humble beginning, his rise to Parliament was as controversial as his stay, and exit.
A former city councillor, Ssegirinya’s rise to prominence was mainly through consistent phone calls to live radio political shows and his participation in protests against President Yoweri Museveni’s government.
He always identified prominent opposition leaders such as Kizza Besigye, Erias Lukwago, and Robert Kyagulanyi to tag along in the protests, which earned him a slot as a councillor representing Kawempe at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) on the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) ticket. He later joined NUP.
The late legislator’s run-ins with the law and government intensified after his election to the House.
He was arrested on charges of participating in a protest seeking the immediate release of detained National Unity Platform (NUP) members who were arrested in 2020 during the campaigns. He was taken to Kitalya prison, which had become famous with political prisoners.
Ssegirinya was released in April 2021. However, his health was poor and complained of ear and abdominal complications.
He was flown to Nairobi for treatment where he said he had been diagnosed with liver complications.
Owing to his health condition, he even requested to take the Parliamentary oath via Zoom, but was later able to attend the ceremony on May 20, 2021.
Speaking to the media after taking the oath, the legislator promised to share the money allocated to buy him a vehicle with his constituents instead of enriching himself while his subordinates suffer.
Ugandan MPs are given a lump sum of money, about Sh7,238,000 ($56,000) at the start of their term of office to enable them to purchase vehicles for their travels within their constituencies.
“I have a system in Kawempe which is called ‘SsegiBooks’. I will use it to reach and give every family UGX100,000 ($27). I will be able to do that by using the money meant for my car,” he said. “I will not buy a new car, that’s being extravagant.”
A couple of months after taking the oath, Ssegirinya was again arrested with charges in connection to terrorism, and taken back to Kitalya prison where he spent nearly two years with his colleague legislator Allan Ssewanyana.
His health deteriorated rapidly while in jail and he attributed his poor health to the conditions in prison.
The two legislators were released on February 13, 2023, and for the next months, he was bogged down by the court case as he kept reporting with no end in sight, just as he was frequenting medical facilities for treatment.
In September 2023, after a month of treatment in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, he returned home but remained weak and relatively quiet, especially in Parliament and constituency.
His passing brings to the fore the debate on the forthcoming election as the opposition uses the opportunity to hit the government for continued detention without trial, which could have led to his health breakdown.
The government has been accused of intimidating opposition members, sometimes holding them for many months without trial or charging them in the military court, which they deem biased and serving the interests of the government.
Hundreds of opposition supporters camped at NUP offices on the outskirts of Kampala city as they followed updates on the burial arrangements.
According to a tentative program released by the family, Ssegirinya will be buried on Saturday, January 11, 2025, in Masaka, about 120km southwest of Kampala city.
Opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, who kept updating supporters about the legislator's condition, said it was a very sad morning. “Our brother, our friend, our fellow leader Hon. Muhammad Ssegirinya has passed on. Such a dark morning,” he tweeted.
Speaker of Parliament Anita Among announced the legislator’s passing in a communication to the parliament and country a few minutes before 1 pm.
“I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family, the people of Kawempe North, whom he served with great commitment, and to the country at large.
“I have instructed the Clerk of Parliament to coordinate with the family regarding the necessary arrangements,” she said.
