The vigil, held at Ssegirinya's ancestral home in Butale, Masaka City, was meant to honor the late legislator who had passed away after battling skin cancer.
However, what should have been a peaceful occasion soon turned into a scene of public rejection and taunts.
Mpuuga, the MP for Nyendo-Mukungwe and a former NUP Vice President for Buganda, has been at the center of a corruption controversy regarding a Shs500 million service award.
This scandal has left many NUP supporters with a bitter taste, and his presence at the vigil only seemed to add fuel to the fire.
Kakande, the Masaka City Woman MP and an ally of Mpuuga, also found herself under scrutiny. Her presence at the vigil stirred further anger among the mourners, especially those who still held Ssegirinya’s legacy dear.
The situation escalated when Kakande sent a water bowser truck to assist with the funeral arrangements.
The offer, however, was not well received by the mourners. A number of NUP supporters, angered by the recent controversies involving Mpuuga and Kakande, loudly rejected the gesture.
"We don’t need her water. Let the truck go away," some of the mourners shouted, expressing their discontent.
Despite the growing tension, Mpuuga and Kakande tried to maintain composure. Mpuuga had a brief meeting with Ssegirinya’s mother, Justine Ssanyu Nakajjumba, before heading to the family house where the body was laid.
Later, both MPs returned to the main tent, but the crowd’s anger did not subside. The situation reached a point where the two MPs were forced to leave, signaling the deepening divisions within the NUP party.
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Politics