NUP Retains Joel Ssenyonyi as LoP, Unveils 12th Parliament Leadership 

The National Unity Platform (NUP), maintaining its status as the largest opposition party in the House, has officially re-appointed Nakawa West Member of Parliament Joel Ssenyonyi as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) for the 12th Parliament.  

The announcement comes amidst a highly dynamic political landscape following the dramatic election of the new parliamentary leadership earlier this week.

The 12th Parliament consists of 529 elected MPs, with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) commanding a supermajority of 372 members, while NUP leads the opposition block with 50 representatives.  

Ssenyonyi, who took over the LoP mantle during the 11th Parliament, has been credited by his party leadership for effectively steering the opposition and consistently demanding accountability from the executive.

His re-appointment follows a widely praised, symbolic gesture where he officially handed over the LoP office vehicles and security detail to the Clerk to Parliament immediately after being sworn in, a move many lauded as a rare display of institutional respect and discipline in Ugandan politics.  

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Alongside Ssenyonyi’s retention, the NUP secretariat unveiled a comprehensively restructured shadow cabinet and opposition leadership team assigned to head critical parliamentary accountability committees:  

• Commissioner of Parliament: Hon. John Baptist Nambeshe (Manjiya County).  

• Opposition Chief Whip: Hon. Paul Mwiru (Jinja South East), who recently contested for the Speakership against Jacob Oboth-Oboth. He will be deputized by Hon. Harriet Nakwedde (Kayunga Woman MP).  

• Committee on Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE): Headed by Hon. Muwada Nkunyingi (Kyadondo East) and deputized by Hon. George Musisi (Kira Municipality).  

• Public Accounts Committee (PAC): Chaired by Hon. Patrick Nsamba Oshabe (Kassanda North), with Hon. Sarah Lwansasula (Jinja City Woman MP) serving as his deputy.  

• Government Assurance Committee: Led by Hon. Francis Zaake (Mityana Municipality) and deputized by Hon. Anna Adeke Ebaju (Soroti Woman MP).  

• Local Government Committee: Headed by veteran legislator Hon. Betty Nambooze (Mukono Municipality), deputized by Hon. Abed Nasser Mudiobole (Iganga Municipality).  

The new opposition leadership takes charge at a highly critical juncture. With NUP party president Robert Kyagulanyi currently in exile in the United States and the ruling NRM tightening its grip on the legislature through the unopposed Oboth-Oboth and Tayebwa ticket, the opposition faces an uphill battle.