Move to kick Ssenyonyi out of LOP office reaches Parliament

• PLU-affiliated MPs have filed notice to introduce a bill amending the Administration of Parliament Act.

• The proposed law seeks to change the framework governing the selection of the Leader of the Opposition.

• The move follows Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba's calls for Joel Ssenyonyi's removal.

• The contents of the proposed amendments have not yet been made public.

A group of Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU)-affiliated Members of Parliament has formally launched a legislative process that could change how the Leader of the Opposition (LOP) is selected.

Buyaga West MP Dennis Namara, Kibanda County MP Linos Ngompek and Kanyum County MP Simon Peter Okwalinga have served notice to the Clerk to Parliament of their intention to seek leave to introduce a Private Member's Bill titled the Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

According to a statement released on June 24, 2026, the proposed legislation seeks to overhaul the legal framework governing the selection of the Leader of the Opposition.

The move comes days after Chief of Defence Forces and PLU chairman Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba declared that he wanted a new opposition leader in Parliament and vowed to remove Joel Ssenyonyi from the position.

"We have started the process of appointing our own Leader of the Opposition," Gen Kainerugaba posted on X earlier this week.

He also said he wanted the office to be taken by PLU and tasked Kasambya County MP David Kabanda, the PLU secretary general, with leading efforts to secure a new opposition leader.

The latest development marks the first formal parliamentary step linked to those calls.

A notice seen by this website shows that Namara formally wrote to the Speaker of Parliament on June 24, 2026, notifying her of his intention to move a motion seeking leave of the House to introduce the amendment bill under Rule 58 of Parliament's Rules of Procedure.

The MPs have not yet publicly disclosed the specific amendments contained in the proposed legislation. It therefore remains unclear how the bill would alter the current process for selecting the Leader of the Opposition.

Under existing parliamentary practice, the Leader of the Opposition is nominated by the largest opposition party represented in Parliament. The National Unity Platform currently holds that position and appointed Joel Ssenyonyi as Leader of the Opposition in 2024.

The proposed bill is likely to trigger political debate, with opposition parties expected to scrutinise any attempt to alter the rules governing one of Parliament's most influential offices.