I negotiated release of MPs Ssegirinya, Ssewanyana- Mpuuga

Nyendo-Mukungwe legislator Mathias Mpuuga
Nyendo-Mukungwe legislator Mathias Mpuuga has admitted that he negotiated a deal to release his two counterparts; Muhammad Ssegirinya and Allan Ssewanyana.
On February 13, 2023, the Masaka High Court judge Lawrence Tweyanze released Kawempe North MP Ssegirinya (now deceased) and his Makindye West counterpart Ssewanyana after spending 524 days on remand following their alleged involvement in the killing of over 20 people in Masaka sub region during the infamous machete attacks in the area in mid-2021.
Unfortunately, Ssegirinya, who has been bedridden ever since he was released from jail passed away last week and was buried on January 12.
Justice Tweyanze granted the two MPs bail to enable them have access to medical treatment due to their deteriorating health conditions. The duo paid a cash bond of Shs20 million and deposited their passports with the court while their sureties were bonded at Shs50 million non-cash. A day after the release of the duo, Mr Mpuuga, a Parliamentary Commissioner came out and distanced himself from any negotiations that resulted in releasing the two legislators. He also went ahead and threatened to sue this publication which had run a story in its February 14, 2023 edition under the deadline “How MPs got freedom” ,emphasising that there were secret talks to secure release of the two MPs.
Daily Monitor investigations revealed that the talks were powered by Parliament’s top leadership and in which Mr Mpuuga , then Leader of Opposition played a key role reportedly without the knowledge of National Unity Platform(NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi's purview.
But during a parallel send-off for Ssegirinya organised by Mr Mpuuga and Parliament at Butale Cell in Masaka City on Sunday, the former NUP deputy president for Buganda region, said he played a pivotal role in ensuring that the two legislators regain their freedom.
“….when I went to visit our brothers in prison, I requested to talk to them in a special way as a leader and I was allowed. Ssegirinya said ‘My leader, I have been overwhelmed by the poor prison conditions and I feel I may die in prison’. I counseled and gave him hope that he would not die. Ssomehow I got confused but after our conversation, I talked to authorities who said they would allow him to go and receive treatment from outside,” he said.
The release of the duo where each paid a cash bail of Shs20m came after two attempts to secure bail through court had failed. The two MPs denied the charges and the case is still in court.
But in an interview with our sister station, NTV on Monday, Mr Mpuuga clarified that the negotiations he brokered were with “prison authorities.”
“My talk with prison authorities was to ensure that Ssegirinya gets out of jail and receive treatment .I had to talk to them [prison authorities ] and they accepted , granting them bail ,I think that happened in full glare of cameras ,they had already spent over 180days in jail which violates the constitution .’’
Interestingly, on February 21, 2023, Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Norbert Mao, also President of opposition Democratic Party (DP) came out saying it was him who brokered the release of the two legislators. Mao took a swipe at some leaders within the Opposition who he didn’t mention, saying they “meet President Museveni quietly for deals” yet they criticize dialogue and negotiation and described them as “opportunists and hypocrites.”
Last year, Mr Mpuuga broke ranks with NUP leadership, which accuses him of corruption after he received Shs500 million service award as the Leader of Opposition in Parliament in May 2022.
Mr Mpuuga has since rejected calls to resign, arguing that he deserved the one-off award and that it was legal.
Last month, Mr Mpuuga became the interim leader of Democratic Alliance (DA) ,a political grouping he says is going to rally the wider Opposition to push for electoral reforms ahead of 2026 general elections.