A video featuring Ugandan comedian Herbert Ssegujja, popularly known as Teacher Mpamire or Mendo, has been widely shared online after some viewers mistook his impersonation of President Yoweri Museveni for an actual late-night visit by the President to street-connected children.
In the clip, Ssegujja appears dressed and speaking in his well-known Museveni character as he interacts with children gathered near a closed shop and appears to offer them bread.
Ssegujja is known for his impersonation of President Museveni and has built much of his comedy career around the character. Daily Monitor has previously described him as a leading Ugandan comedy impressionist renowned for mimicking the President.
The video nevertheless prompted some social media users to discuss the plight of children living or working on Kampala’s streets, with some calling for interventions that go beyond providing food during isolated encounters.
The confusion comes as Kampala authorities continue efforts to remove children from the streets and return them to their families and schools.
On September 9, 2026, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) said it had returned 156 children rescued from Kampala’s streets to school in Napak District after they underwent care and rehabilitation at Masulita Children’s Village in Wakiso District. Another 22 youths were placed in vocational training.
KCCA said more than 718 unaccompanied and vulnerable children had been rescued from Kampala’s streets since January 2026 at the time of the September 9 announcement. The authority said many of the children originate from the Karamoja sub-region and are brought to Kampala for begging and other forms of exploitation.
Daily Monitor reported on September 10 that KCCA had repatriated at least 200 street children to Napak following rehabilitation at Masulita Children’s Village. The newspaper reported that KCCA had rescued more than 900 street children since January 2026.
The issue has also exposed challenges within Uganda’s child-protection system. Parliament reported in April 2026 that inspections had found at least 10 remand homes, a reception centre and the Kampiringisa National Rehabilitation Centre in poor condition, raising concerns about infrastructure and funding for facilities caring for vulnerable children.
KCCA said in 2025 that Kampala had 26 approved children’s homes providing temporary care to abandoned, unaccompanied and street-connected children. The authority said services included education, healthcare, psychosocial rehabilitation, family tracing, reunification and vocational training.
The Kampala Child Protection Ordinance, 2022 also prohibits sending children to beg or solicit for alms and prohibits people from benefiting financially from child begging. KCCA has previously warned that directly giving money to children on the streets can sustain systems in which adults exploit them.
The viral clip, therefore, is not evidence of an actual late-night visit by President Museveni. It features Ssegujja, whose established stage character is an impersonation of the President.
The incident illustrates how easily comedy built around political impersonation can cross into apparent reality when short videos are separated from their original context and widely circulated on social media.
