Process to kick Ssenyonyi out of office has begun - Gen Kainerugaba

• Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba says the process of replacing Joel Ssenyonyi as Leader of the Opposition has started.

• He wants the position taken by the Patriotic League of Uganda.

• David Kabanda has pledged to deliver a new Leader of the Opposition within two weeks.

• NUP remains the largest opposition party and currently holds the office.

The Chief of Defence Forces and Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Operations, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has said the process to appoint a new Leader of the Opposition in Parliament has began.

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

The latest statement follows a series of posts in which the CDF vowed to remove Joel Ssenyonyi from the position and replace him with a leader backed by the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU).

Earlier, Gen Kainerugaba said he wanted a new Leader of the Opposition and instructed PLU to study ways of removing Ssenyonyi from office.

"I want a new leader of the opposition in Parliament. And I will get him. He will be endorsed by me," he posted.

Kasambya County MP David Kabanda, who serves as secretary general of PLU, responded by pledging to carry out the task.

"Count it done Sir. Two weeks are enough!" Kabanda wrote.

Gen Kainerugaba later announced that Kabanda had been authorised to lead what he described as an operation in Parliament to secure a new Leader of the Opposition.

"I want the position of LOP to be taken by PLU," he added.

Local Government minister and PLU vice-chairperson for western Uganda Balaam Barugahara also backed the proposal, posting: "Seconded".

The remarks are the latest in a growing confrontation between Gen Kainerugaba and senior opposition politicians. Last week, he warned that Ssenyonyi and former Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda would be arrested soon. He also criticised Ssenyonyi for comparing him to former Lord's Resistance Army commander Joseph Kony.

Ssenyonyi, the Nakawa West MP and National Unity Platform spokesperson, had not publicly responded to the latest comments by press time.

Under parliamentary practice, the Leader of the Opposition is nominated by the largest opposition party in Parliament. The National Unity Platform currently holds that position and appointed Ssenyonyi to the office in 2024 following changes in its parliamentary leadership.

Political analysts have questioned whether any external political group can influence the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition, arguing that the position is determined by the parliamentary strength and decisions of the largest opposition party.