Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi has accused a group of five Members of Parliament including members from both the Opposition and the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) of fraudulently using his name to secure an all-expenses-paid trip to Kenya under false pretenses.
The trip in question is a two-week workshop on Inclusive Leadership and Governance for Social Equity and Development scheduled to take place from May 18 to May 31, 2025, at Sai Rock Hotel in Mombasa, Kenya.
The invitation, issued by the Legislative Centre (TLC), names Ssenyonyi as the head of an “Opposition delegation,” which includes Hon. Joyce Bagala, Hon. Michael Kakembo Mbwatekamwa, Hon. Juliet Kakande, Hon. Richard Lumu, and Hon. Sarah Najjuma.
Ssenyonyi expressed shock and disappointment at the fraudulent use of his name.
“These 5 Honourable colleagues—Joyce Bagala, Kakembo Mbwatekamwa, Juliet Kakande, Lumu Richard & Najjuma Sarah—obtained an invitation in my name from some organization in Kenya, for them to attend some random workshop in Mombasa next month for 2 weeks,” he revealed.
“They then forwarded it to the Speaker for clearance for them to be facilitated for the 2-week trip.”
Ssenyonyi further alleged that one MP went as far as manually adding their name to the invitation letter using a pen after the letter had already been received before it was submitted to the Speaker of Parliament for official facilitation.
The most glaring irregularity, according to Ssenyonyi, was the inclusion of Hon. Sarah Najjuma, the NRM Woman MP for Nakaseke, on a delegation that was meant to represent the Opposition.
“The challenge is that they didn’t inform or consult me that they would use my name to obtain this invitation, so they impersonated me,” Ssenyonyi lamented.
“Even more problematic, the list includes an NRM MP on the ‘Opposition delegation’ which apparently is to be led by myself as LOP.”
The controversial workshop, organized by a Nairobi-based human capital development institution, aims to promote policy knowledge in legislative affairs, governance, and inclusive leadership. The theme of the workshop is “Enhancing people-based governance for better livelihoods.”
The Legislative Centre’s invitation states:
“Policymakers must champion inclusive development, equitable opportunities, and evolving societies. The forum seeks to equip participants with the knowledge and strategies to implement people-based governance models.”
Despite the seemingly noble goals of the workshop, Ssenyonyi questioned the integrity and intentions of the MPs involved:
“Why would ‘Honourable’ members choose to behave fraudulently like this!” he questioned.
