Busiro East legislator Medard Lubega Sseggona has declared he will seek re-election as an independent in the 2026 polls, following the loss of the NUP ticket to musician turned politician Mathias Walukagga Mulumba.
The decision was reached during a consultative meeting with his supporters held at his residence in Nakasozi, Kyengera Town Council, Wakiso District.
On Monday, the NUP vetting committee endorsed Walukagga as the party flag bearer for Busiro East, effectively dropping Sseggona.
Addressing his supporters at his Buddo home on Wednesday, Sseggona said the move to quit NUP followed wide consultations, where many of his supporters urged him to defy what they described as an “unfair” party process.
“The party has its job and the people have theirs. I expect the people to do their job. It is the people who should decide for the party, not the party deciding for them,” he said.
Sseggona, one of NUP’s founding members and lawyers for the party questioned the basis upon which he was dropped.
“I was asked what I have done for the National Unity Platform (NUP), but honestly speaking, what didn’t I do for NUP?”
He also cautioned voters against trivialising leadership, in what appeared to be a thinly veiled attack on Walukagga’s candidacy.
“Do not send to Parliament people who cannot debate or understand issues. Leadership is not a joke,” he warned.
He further suggested that the decision to deny him the NUP ticket was politically calculated to weaken Buganda’s influence in Parliament.
“The manner in which NUP denied me the party card was designed to humiliate the Baganda people and weaken them in Parliament. This only benefits the government,” he argued.
With this declaration, Sseggona has ended his formal journey with NUP and is banking on direct support from his constituents to return to Parliament.
It remains to be seen whether the decision to go independent will pay off.
