Ssemujju castigates government for reducing opposition MPs to chicken thieves

Government has confirmed celebrations to mark 59 years of Independence from British for Saturday.

The celebrations according to the state, will take place at the Kololo Ceremonial grounds in Kampala.

Peter Ogwang the Minister of State for Economic Monitoring, Office of the President presented to Parliament the Statement on 59th Independence Day Celebrations.

The theme of this year’s celebrations is ‘Celebrating our 59th lndependence Day as we secure our future through National Mindset Change’.

Ogwang pointed out that government will recognise some historical names in this year’s celebrations.

The minister revealed: “Uganda will on October 9th 2021 celebrate the 59th Independence anniversary, an annual event to pay tribute to people who exemplified the highest values of patriotism and sacrifice for the wellbeing of the Uganda and its citizens.”

He added: “We owe a great debt to these sons and daughters of this country and all the other well meaning patriots who fought for Uganda to be free from colonial exploitation and attain self rule. It is a debt we can neither repay, nor ever forget.”

Opposition has, however, rebuked celebrations to mark this year’s independence which they claim come at a time when government is paying deaf ears to the rule of law.

The rearrests of Allan Ssewanyana (Makindye West) and Muhammad Ssegirinya (Kawempe North) after police overturned the court orders were a point of reference for the opposition in questioning this year’s independence celebrations.

Kiira Municipality MP and FDC party spokesman Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda took to the floor to criticise the state for the disrespectful manner in which the police handled Ssewanyana and Ssegirinya. The pair have been remanded to Kitalya police detention centre after state conferred upon them a series of charges including murder.

Ssemujju blasted: “Today MPs are arrested like chicken thieves, court orders are being overturned. This attitude needs to change, Until we have created a country where all of us feel respected, independence celebrations will continue losing meaning.”

The legislator urged the government to make this year’s celebrations more meaningful by going back to the ideals that drove the national heroes like Ignatius K. Musaazi and Abubaker Kakyama Mayanja.

Ssemujju drew the attention of the house, by stating: “They were not fighting for schools because the schools( like Budo, Namagunga, etc) already existed but for “self-determination” where they would be respected as human beings.”

In a reminder to minister Ogwang, Speaker Anita Among told the house last year’s celebrations had so many questionable moments.

Speaker Among recalled: “The last function we had in Kololo was not well organized; we hope this time round, you will have a well organized function.”

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