While hosting NUP spokesperson and the Nakawa west MP, Joel Ssenyonyi this weekend on FaceOff program, Samson Kasumba advised Kyagulanyi to consider keeping away from opposing Gen. Museveni’s NRM in 2026 elections to avoid NUP supporters being killed.
Samson Kasumba Asserting that taking on Gen Museveni can only provoke state violence against NUP Principal Bobi Wine’s supporters, Kasumba asserted that participating in elections to compete with the incumbent President has become too risky it amounts to exposing NUP supporters to nothing but death and endless jail.
However, Senyonyi, who was on form throughout the show and enchanted many with his characteristic eloquence and clarity of words, aptly responded that in Uganda life has become risky for everyone to the extent that one doesn’t have to be anti-NRM to be in trouble. He then enumerated names of eminent Ugandans who got violently killed even when they professed Musevenism. He gave the examples of Maj. Kiggundu, AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi, Ibrahim Abiriga, Katumba Wamala and boxer Zebra who was murdered in cold blood inspite of his renowned support for Gen Museveni & his NRM schemes.
Senyonyi challenged Kasumba, who social media users like dissing claiming he is full of self-importance because he is older than his Next Media boss Dr. Kin Kariisa, to man up and begin to appropriately use the huge NBS platform at his disposal to condemn the likes of Gen Elwelu who Have confessed committing such senseless killings like it happened in Kasese.
Not one to be intimidated by hostile comments from the pro-Kyagulanyi social media fraternity, Mzee Samson Kasumba further antagonized Senyonyi by insisting that NUP must act transparently by publicly accounting for the billions it has been receiving in donations from members of the Ugandan Diaspora. The elderly journalist demanded that NUP publicly accounts for the billions it has been receiving in donations from its supporters in the Diaspora to demonstrate the extent to which its transparent and more accountable with finances than Gen Museveni’s NRM party.
And a well composed Joel Senyonyi calmly reminded him that the NUP party has been here for less than one year and (when time comes) will appropriately file their returns and account to the EC, as required by law, and not to Samson Kasumba who isn’t even an NUP member.
Mzee Samson Kasumba further angered the Kyagulanyi online crowd when he suggested that the NUP top leaders must eat a humble pie, go and have tea with Gen Museveni because, in his estimation, clearly that is what it’s going to take for Nubian Li, Eddy Mutwe, Bobi Young and other NUP diehards (in Kitalya prison for the last 6 months) to regain their freedom. Joel Senyonyi promptly responded vowing never to go kneel before Gen Museveni in return for the NUP detainees to be released.
The NUP publicist and new chairperson for the COSASE Committee of Parliament asserted that they will have to keep using every platform they can access to keep mounting pressure aimed at making it risky for Gen Museveni and his security forces to jail innocent Ugandans merely because they hold dissenting political views.
Senyonyi impliedly made it clear to Mzee Samson Kasumba that he and others in NUP are prepared to live for one day standing on their feet than for 100 years on their knees begging the oppressor to let them be free.