Africa-Press – Uganda. The National Unity Platform has suffered a major political setback in Karamoja following the defection of two of its top leaders in Abim District to the ruling National Resistance Movement, citing abandonment and lack of coordination from the party’s central command.
Calvin Ogwang Onyanga, the NUP district coordinator for Abim and Regional Spokesperson for Karamoja, crossed over to the NRM over the weekend, accusing the opposition party of ignoring its grassroots mobilisers.
He was joined by Happy Yovan Mukula, a prominent youth organiser in the district, in a move that NRM leaders have hailed as a show of renewed faith in President Yoweri Museveni’s leadership.
“Since I joined NUP in 2020, I have worked tirelessly to mobilise the youth, but we’ve been operating in total isolation,” Ogwang said at the Karamoja Youth Wake-Up Rally held at Moroto Boma Grounds.
“There are no structures, no activities, no communication, and no facilitation for upcountry members. It’s like we were forgotten.”
The two were formally received by Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs Balaam Barugahara, Disaster Preparedness Minister Esther Anyakun, and Moroto Municipality MP Francis Lorika Adome.
Their reception was laced with fanfare, as they surrendered their NUP party IDs and red regalia before being draped in yellow NRM T-shirts bearing Museveni’s image and the slogan “My President.”
“Welcome to the party of prosperity,” Minister Balaam said. “You have made a wise and patriotic decision to join a movement that delivers results and uplifts communities.”
The defection is being interpreted by political analysts as both a symbolic and strategic gain for the NRM in Karamoja, a region where opposition parties have historically struggled to entrench themselves amid logistical challenges and socio-economic marginalisation.
Ogwang’s role as both a district-level coordinator and regional spokesperson makes his departure particularly bruising for NUP, which is already facing criticism for a lack of visibility beyond urban centres.
“NUP has a lot of work to do when it comes to Karamoja,” said local political analyst Simon Nangiro. “That region overwhelmingly votes for the ruling party, and with no real grassroots presence, there is very little they can do.”
The National Unity Platform, led by Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, has not yet issued a formal response.
However, internal concerns have been raised in the past about the party’s limited reach in rural Uganda, where it lacks logistical infrastructure, local offices, and consistent programming.
In the 2021 general elections, NUP performed strongly in central Uganda and among urban youth, but its influence thinned significantly in pastoral and borderland areas like Karamoja.
The departure of Ogwang and Mukula adds to a growing perception that the party is struggling to convert its national appeal into meaningful local structures — a challenge that could prove decisive as Uganda approaches the 2026 elections.
While the NRM has long maintained a tight grip on Karamoja through its patronage networks and government-led programmes, this latest defection shows the party is still actively working to consolidate that dominance.
The “Wake-Up Rally” in Moroto was the latest in a series of mobilisation events led by Minister Balaam, aimed at energising the youth and neutralising the appeal of emerging opposition movements.
For Ogwang, the move marks what he calls a return to pragmatism. “I can’t keep lying to the people that help is coming,” he said. “We need a party that listens and works with us. That’s why I’ve joined NRM.”
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