Ex Kampala MP Nabilah reveals old connection with Museveni, offers Muhoozi guidance on taking power

Former Kampala District Woman MP Nabilah Naggayi Ssempala has revealed a long-standing personal connection with President Yoweri Museveni, saying it shaped how she spoke about him during her years in opposition politics.

While she served for two terms as MP, Nabilah faced criticism for not  being confrontational with President Yoweri Museveni.

The former legislator has revealed that this all stemmed from her deep rooted respect for the president, who happened to have gone to school with her father.

Nabilah said Museveni went to Ntare School with her father, a link she said forced her to choose her words carefully even when she disagreed with him politically.

"I was in opposition politically. I was accused of not using insults when referring to the president; but I weathered that storm. I stated that the President went to school with my father in Ntare School. Whatever disagreement in my heart or difference in opinion that I would have with him, I had to get the right words. Even when I met him, I told him how I respected him," she said.

In a message addressed to Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Nabilah also referred to the president as "my father" and described Muhoozi as her brother.

She said Muhoozi holds a lot of power and is expected to "fill the shoes" of his father, urging him to handle that journey with restraint.

"You hold a lot of power and you are a custodian because when you sit in that seat of our father, you are our protector and are going to fill the shoes of your father," she said.

Nabilah said she was speaking to Muhoozi as a sister under African tradition, where sisters offer honest counsel to their brothers without seeking favour.

"My connection with Gen Muhoozi is as a fellow citizen but also as a sister because the president is my father. Therefore I am addressing you General as a sister and in African tradition sisters are the ones that give advice that does not seek favour but for the good of the brother," she said.

She urged Muhoozi to draw lessons from Museveni's handling of people who disagree with him.

"You come from a very traditional family. The president is a very traditional man. You are a beneficiary of that wisdom. How has he treated those who disagree with him? What have you learnt from him?" she said.

Nabilah said experienced leaders were willing to offer counsel to what she described as the transition. She said she would have preferred to speak to Muhoozi privately if she had access to him.

"If I could, I would have done this privately, if I had access to you. We are willing to offer counsel and our experience to the transition," she said.

She then turned to the arrest of former Ethics and Integrity minister Dr Miria Matembe, urging Muhoozi to release her and avoid turning the incident into a stain on his legacy.

"On this basis, I address you on a specific matter pertaining to our elder and Auntie Dr Miria Matembe. Even when we critique her, we have to give honor and humility and it must also be in private, in the same way we would with her agemates such as your father the president; so that you avoid the stain on your journey, your legacy and inheritance…you have to avoid that as a curse," she said.

She described Matembe as a truth-teller known to President Museveni.

"Matembe has lived her life as a truthsayer, the president knows her; she has stood on the truth. From my experience in politics, I have critiqued those who are older than me, but I have always been very cognisant of the cultural connotations," she said.

Nabilah warned that the treatment of Matembe could mark Muhoozi's political rise negatively.

"Do not let Dr Miria Matembe be that stain that will mark your ascension negatively. I beseech you our CDF, please, listen to your inner voice; consult your father," she said.

Matembe was arrested after spending two days in hiding following a security raid on her Luzira home. According to family updates, she had avoided arrest after receiving a tip-off while out jogging, before security later picked her from a friend's house and took her to Mbuya.

The former minister has become one of the government's fiercest critics. She has repeatedly condemned alleged human rights abuses, enforced disappearances and the growing role of the military in politics.

Nabilah ended her message with a direct appeal to Muhoozi.

"So, my brother, Gen MK, I want to ask you…find it in your heart, to release our auntie Dr Miria Matembe for the sake of your father's legacy.