KAMPALA, Uganda – A unique and unexpected demographic is reportedly celebrating the recent political downfall of Medard Lubega Ssegona: inmates at Luzira Prison. According to reports from the facility, prisoners facing life imprisonment or the death sentence are rejoicing over Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu’s (Bobi Wine) decision to deny Ssegona the National Unity Platform (NUP) party ticket for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
The inmates’ animosity towards the MP stems from his alleged role in a significant amendment to Uganda’s sentencing laws. Sources claim that Ssegona is widely blamed among the prison population for introducing the amendment that changed the legal definition of a life sentence. Previously, a life term could be reviewed after 20 years, but the amended law now means a convict must spend the rest of their natural life in prison.
This legislative change is said to have created deep-seated bitterness, particularly among inmates in the Upper Prison section. The hostility is reportedly so severe that Ssegona fears setting foot inside the facility.
This fear, according to insiders, is the primary reason the MP has never been seen visiting jailed NUP supporters or other high-profile detainees like Sheikh Jamil Mukulu, the founding commander of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), or opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye.
With Ssegona now blocked from returning to parliament, inmates facing perpetual incarceration see it as a form of political revenge and a measure of justice for his role in a law they view as excessively harsh. The celebration behind bars highlights the intense and personal consequences of legislative actions and the unlikely places where political repercussions can be felt.
