Africa-Press – Uganda. During the Kawempe North MP by-election vetting exercise in February, the National Unity Platform (NUP) quietly signaled what would later explode into a full-blown political crisis. Ten hopefuls were subjected to what insiders described as “rigorous drills” in the party’s vetting process.
In the end, lawyer Elias Nalukoola was awarded the party flag — but not without backlash. Among the most vocal critics was Alex Luswa Luwemba, a former aide of the late MP Muhammad Ssegirinya, and maverick Moses Nsereko. They decried the exercise as rigged and exclusionary.
Fast forward to September, and NUP is now firmly in the grip of an internal storm. Aspirants for the 2026 general elections are crying foul over the party’s vetting process, with accusations of bias, favoritism, and handpicking leveled against the secretariat — and more pointedly, against party leader Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine.
Some of the aspirants including former political leaders have broken ranks with the party and are either running as independents or joining other parties.
While the party has positioned itself as the moral alternative to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), the current infighting is quickly stripping it of that image.
The vetting chaos has laid bare the deep cracks within Uganda’s largest opposition party and made it vulnerable to both internal implosion and external poaching — primarily by a resurgent NRM that is now eyeing the central region with renewed appetite.
Across constituencies from Makindye Ssabagabo to Mbale City, and from Nansana to Rubaga Division, the same story repeats itself with haunting consistency: long-time NUP loyalists denied party tickets, often without explanation, and replaced with candidates many describe as politically weaker or suspiciously connected.
In Nansana, chaos erupted during the allocation of the party card for the mayoral race. Supporters of rival NUP figures — Matovu Joseph and Ssali Isaac Keith — clashed publicly, hurling accusations of document forgery and corruption.
The party reversed its decision under pressure, awarding the card to Matovu, further inflaming factional divides.
In Mbale City, the NUP chairperson himself, Rogers Busiku, publicly denounced the party’s choice of Mansa Musa as its mayoral flagbearer.
He warned that the selection was a “gift to the NRM” and that the party was ignoring the voices of its grassroots mobilizers in favor of “middlemen” and political deal-makers.
“We are allowing deal-crackers to spoil the image of NUP,” he warned. His plea to Kyagulanyi — a desperate call for intervention — has so far gone unanswered.
Meanwhile, in Makindye Ssabagabo, Cedric Kawuma, a popular local leader, has vowed to run as an independent after being denied the party’s endorsement.
His public outburst mirrored that of many other former NUP allies, who feel betrayed after years of loyalty to a movement they believed was rooted in people power, not selective politics.
NRM Licking Lips
The consequences of this vetting chaos are perhaps most acute in the central region — NUP’s traditional stronghold and the epicentre of the 2021 electoral wave that swept Kyagulanyi and his candidates into political stardom.
Unlike NRM, which has resorted to internal voting mechanisms to decide flagbearers in most areas, NUP relies on a vetting committee — a model that was supposed to protect the party from manipulation and violence.
But it is now backfiring. Many loyalists believe decisions are being made by a small circle of elites, with Kyagulanyi himself accused of handpicking allies at the expense of seasoned grassroots organizers.
This is not just political mismanagement; it’s a strategic blunder that could cost NUP dearly in 2026. The NRM, long considered out of touch in the central region, now finds itself with an unexpected opportunity.
As NUP loyalists either defect or choose to run as independents — splitting the opposition vote — the ruling party needs only modest gains to retake ground it lost in the last election.
Already, rival political forces are capitalising on NUP’s missteps. The Democratic Front (DF), led by figures like Michael Mabikke and Moses Kasibante, is positioning itself as a clean, issue-based alternative.
The People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), which recently welcomed Kira Mayor Julius Mutebi and lawyer Ivan Bwowe, is also making strategic gains.
Even more telling, several ex-NUP councillors and mayors have already jumped ship, including those who once stood beside Kyagulanyi during his most difficult moments. Their defections are not just symbolic — they point to an erosion of the movement’s internal cohesion and ideological clarity.
For a party born out of protest, mobilization, and the promise of accountability, the current crisis is existential. The rhetoric of “people power” can no longer hide the contradictions within.
Candidates who have walked with the party from the ghetto to Parliament are now being told they are not good enough — not by voters, but by a vetting committee they neither elected nor understand.
This has created a perception — fair or not — that decisions are being centralized in Kamwokya, and ultimately dictated by Kyagulanyi himself.
The aura of inclusivity and participatory democracy that once defined NUP is now being replaced by whispers of favoritism and betrayal.
As analyst Dr. Johnpaul Kasujja has pointed out, vetting is necessary — but only when it is seen to be transparent, fair, and rooted in merit.
In its current form, NUP’s approach has alienated too many too fast, giving rise to a damaging narrative: that loyalty and service count for little in a party now governed by backroom deals.
With nomination deadlines looming and defections mounting, NUP has little time to course-correct. Its electoral advantage in the central region is no longer a given.
If it fails to reconnect with its base, listen to grassroots voices, and reform its internal processes, it risks not only losing elections but also losing its soul.
For now, the party that once inspired hope is in danger of becoming its own worst enemy.
Editor’s Note: This commentary reflects the author’s analysis based on recent political developments within the National Unity Platform and the broader Ugandan opposition landscape. Rebuttals and alternative perspectives are welcome.
Source: Nilepost News
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