Ssenyonyi isn’t going to fly a jumbo jet 

The incoming Leader of the Opposition in Parliament from the National Unity Platform (NUP), Joel Ssenyonyi, has been the subject of public debate since he was chosen for this role, with many (on social media) saying that he is a political novice and may struggle to deliver.

Some have said that the job should have been given to either Betty Nambooze (gender balance) or Muwanga Kivumbi since both have been MPs for many years.

Of course, Ugandans have to wait and see how Mr Ssenyonyi will set about his new role. But the truth is that concerns that the Nakawa West MP is not a good fit do not seem to be well founded.

Mr Ssenyonyi is not going to fly a jumbo jet. The job does not require any special training, skills or work experience. In my humble opinion, any MP from the NUP who is eloquent and is versed in the rules of procedure can work effectively and efficiently as the Leader of the Opposition. We should not pretend that this is rocket science.

To understand this better, let us look at the key duties and responsibilities of the position in question. According to the Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Act, 2006, the principal duty of the Leader of the Opposition is to keep the government in check.

The Leader of the Opposition also appoints (in consultation with the leadership of his/her party) a shadow Cabinet with portfolios and functions that correspond to those of Cabinet ministers.

He/she holds regular consultations with the Leader of Government Business, or the Prime Minister, and the Speaker. And he studies all policy statements of the government with the shadow ministers, attends committee deliberations on policy issues and gives his party’s views and opinions while also proposing possible alternatives.

It is hard to see how Mr Ssenyonyi can fail in these duties. The challenges he may face will likely have more to do with the fact that the NRM is an autocracy pretending to be a democracy than his lack of solid experience as a politician.

For example, if Mr Ssenyonyi piles pressure on the government to free NUP supporters who are currently in illegal detention and the government ignores him and his party, as it has previously done to the outgoing Leader of the Opposition, Mathius Mpuuga, it does not mean he is failing to keep the government in check. It simply means we have an administration that only pays lip service to the rule of law.

Mr Ssenyonyi would have a difficult time convincing Ugandans he can do the job well if all six politicians who have previously served as Leaders of the Opposition had done something remarkable that he cannot do — for example, forcing Mr Museveni to carry out reforms that have improved governance.

But all former Leaders of the Opposition — Morris Ogenga Latigo (2006–2010), Nathan Nandala Mafabi (2011–2013), Philip Wafula Oguttu (2013–2015),Winifred Kiiza (2015–2018), Betty Aol Ochan (2018–2021) and Mathias Mpuuga (2021–2023) — just did what is written in the Administration of Parliament Act. And that was it.

Politicians’ jobs are not as hard as we are sometimes led to think. Winning elections can be difficult, of course, but once a politician gets elected, especially in Uganda, the real work they will do has a lot to do with talking.

They also need to be able to tell voters what they want to hear, to use tact and diplomacy and to be (or to pretend to be) religious. Is this hard work for Mr Ssenyonyi? I have my doubts.

Mr Namiti is a journalist and former

Al Jazeera digital editor in charge of the Africa desk

[email protected]    @kazbuk