Opposition to boycott SONA

With just a day to this year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) the Leader of Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi has announced that the opposition will boycott Thursday’s event because the president’s speeches are ritualistic.

Ssenyonyi told journalists that president repeats statements he made in the 1990s and 2000s, adding that such speeches are a mockery to Ugandans, so the opposition will not accompany the president in this year’s ritual.

He also told journalists that Ugandans are currently interested in hearing how the president is tackling corruption as opposed to defending it and how president Museveni is working to cut down on his expenditure at State House.

This was after it was revealed that State House spends Shs2bn per day, adding that it is unlikely that the president’s speech will mention anything on how to ensure there is money for service delivery in Uganda.

The government has however emphasized that the SONA address is not an NRM event, but indeed a national one that should be treated as such.

Written by Damali Mukhaye