By 2:00 PM on Thursday, all seats reserved for opposition MPs were empty as President Museveni delivered his State of the Nation Address at Kololo Independence Grounds.
Boycotting the national address has become a common practice for Uganda’s opposition.
Addressing the media, Opposition Chief Whip Paul Mwiru said the timing of the address was concerning due to the ongoing Ebola outbreak.
“We have had the Ministry of Health raising a red flag over an Ebola outbreak, and we are very conscious about the health situation in the country,” he said.
Mwiru also said opposition MPs are still demanding accountability over alleged election irregularities, with some MPs claiming they were denied victory. He further highlighted human rights concerns, including the continued detention of political supporters.
“As we speak today, our supporters are still in Luzira prison, and efforts to secure their bail have not succeeded,” he said.
Sheilah Amaniyo, Shadow Minister for Information and Anti-Corruption, said the boycott was a protest against what the opposition calls ongoing human rights abuses by the NRM government.
She mentioned past election violence, the detention of political prisoners, election irregularities, and poor support for intern doctors.
“We have raised these issues before and received no response. We will continue to present our concerns in Parliament and its committees,” Amaniyo said.
Responding to the boycott, Minister of Local Government Balaam Barugahara said it reflected a failure by opposition MPs to understand the message conveyed by the President.
