“He blindly confessed to a crime” – Hon. Ssegona on Walukagga’s revelation of backing Magoola for Busiro East

• Ssegona alleges a possible electoral offence involving Walukagga and MP-elect Emmanuel Magoola Matovu.

• Claims arise from a viral video in which Walukagga speaks of a Shs300 million endorsement deal.

• Ssegona cites the Illiterate Protection Act but says he will not personally pursue legal action.

Outgoing Member of Parliament for Busiro East, Hon. Medard Lubega Ssegona, has made explosive claims alleging that musician Mathias Walukagga and the newly elected MP for the same constituency, Emmanuel Magoola Matovu, may have committed an electoral offence during the recently concluded elections.

According to Ssegona, the controversy stems from the National Unity Platform (NUP) primary process. Initially, NUP issued its party card to Walukagga for the Busiro East seat. However, he was later disqualified on grounds of lacking the required academic qualifications.

Magoola Matovu, who had also gone through the NUP vetting process but eventually contested as an independent, later received Walukagga’s endorsement. With that backing, Magoola went on to win the parliamentary seat decisively.

The matter gained fresh attention after a video circulated online in which Walukagga is heard claiming that he and Magoola entered into a financial agreement. In the video, Walukagga alleges that he received over Shs300 million from Magoola in exchange for endorsing him and allowing him to use his political structures under the “Tulepuke” campaign slogan.

 “What Walukagga may not realise is that in speaking openly about that agreement, he may have ended up confessing to an offence,” Ssegona said while reacting to the video.

Ssegona referenced provisions of the Illiterate Protection Act, explaining that when an agreement is signed in a language one party does not understand, the law requires proper translation and certification. He argued that the existence of a certificate of translation attached to the alleged agreement suggests Walukagga was aware of his academic limitations at a time when he was challenging the Electoral Commission in court over the same issue.

The legislator further claimed that he became aware of the agreement before it was publicly discussed, questioning why the parties would openly speak about such a sensitive arrangement. He added that it would have been more appropriate for any agreement between the two to be drafted in Luganda, a language both clearly understand.

Ssegona also questioned how Walukagga could convince voters of his ability to represent them in Parliament, noting that English is the official language of proceedings in the August House.

He warned that the agreement could be politically damaging to Walukagga should he choose to contest again in future elections. However, Ssegona stressed that he has no intention of taking legal action, stating that he does not want to be perceived as instigating court proceedings if the matter is eventually taken up by other parties.