Rubaga Hospital has refuted the allegations that Kawempe North Member of Parliament, Muhammad Ssegirinya is dead. However, the hospital has said that Ssegirinya is “brain dead” and “all his organs have shut down!”
The acting executive director for Rubaga Hospital, Sr. Dr. Grace Nannyondo said that though Ssegirinya is brain dead and all his organs have shut down, they cannot declare him dead.
The Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi, on Thursday morning while giving an update about Ssegirinya’s life to the media right from the hospital it was Ssegirinya’s mother who called the NUP leadership telling them about her son’s death, though the doctors later refuted the information.
Ssenyonyi has instead called on to Ugandans to “keep praying for Ssegirinya”.
Earlier in the morning, news had spread fast that Ssegirinya – who has had a troubled and distracted first term in Parliament since joining the House in 2021 had passed away at Rubaga Hospital in Uganda’s capital.
Basing the information from Ssegirinya’s mother, even his closest political associates, including his party leader, Robert Kyagulanyi of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP), as well as his lawyer and Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, had reported his demise.
Ssenyonyi, who represents Nakawa West in Parliament, said the 36-year-old MP was brought to the facility “a couple of days ago” and has been in the intensive care unit (ICU), his situation having got “dire”.
“His situation has been deteriorating. Doctors told his mum that he had become brain dead and that all his organs had shut down.
“The mother got in touch with us and said her son was dead.”
When Ssenyonyi and co arrived at the hospital upon receiving the news, the doctors clarified that because “there still a small pass aided with a vent”, it would be “unethical” and “unprofessional” for them to declare Ssegirinya dead.
The doctors reportedly made it clear that they “don’t want to give you hope”, as they “are not God” and therefore “they can’t perform a miracle”.
“Our call to Ugandans, especially the people of Kawempe North, is ‘Let’s keep praying for him’,” urged Sseyonyi. “Even though medically they are saying hope is a grim picture, but there is a God in Heaven.”
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Ssegirinya has been struggling with health problems and has been hospitalized both here in Uganda and abroad, specifically at Aga Khan Hospital in neighbouring Kenya.
Born a Catholic in Masaka district before later converting to Islam, Ssegirinya entered Parliament in 2021 on the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) ticket. His election victory was challenge by one of his contenders, Sulaiman Kidandala.
The case was eventually dismissed and court declared Ssegirinya winner, enriching his political CV in the process, having previously represented Kawempe North as councillor at City Hall.
However, he spent a substantial amount of his term behind bars – alongside fellow MP Allan Ssewanyana of Makindye West over allegations related to the infamous machete killings in Masaka.
The two MPs were released from prison in early 2023 and returned to Parliament in early April that year, but Ssegirinya has since been struggling with health difficulties.
