By Otim Nape
At the founding of People Power, which evolved into NUP, many Bobi Wine adherents centered their messaging on inciting resentment against what they called ‘Western Uganda.’ Some would call it ‘Western Axis.’ This depicted people from President Museveni’s backyard of Western Uganda and their target chiefly was Kizza Besigye who Bobi Wine (opportunistically manipulated and incited by the likes of Mukaku, Mabike, Abed Bwanika etc) saw as an obstacle that had to be overcome at all costs.
As of that time, the narrative was that Besigye was a hoax and couldn’t genuinely oppose Gen Museveni because they both hail from Western Uganda. When Gen Muntu, who the Kyagulanyi squad initially considered gullible, founded his own ANT and insisted on running for President in 2021, as opposed to subscribing to Mr. Wine’s NUP, he too was targeted for demonization under the Western Union stigma.
For some time, for the Kyagulanyi group whoever hailed from Western Uganda was bad unless that person bowed before the Principal and flattered him on TV. That was the fate of Matembe who only began getting bashed after beginning to objectively pronouncing herself on Kyagulanyi’s limitations and unfitness for the top job. The same Kyagulanyi group cheered when Abed Bwanika deceptively argued that Dr. Besigye or even his Winnie Byanyima didn’t deserve audience in Buganda because they are Westerners who ought to exclusively operate and lead the struggle from the Western part of Uganda.
Some Besigyeists used to push back demanding to know about the fate of Barbie Itungo Kyagulanyi if indeed all Westerners were bad people. Valid as it was, this question seldom got responded to and because those raising it were a growing minority, they were easily ignored-but the contradiction (on how all Westerners can be terrible except Bobi’s wife) was clear.
As of that time, Kyagulanyi never called out such supporters even when their collective demonisation of Westerners didn’t place his own wife in a safer place, for as long as such propaganda helped him diminish and overcome Besigye. It was only recently that Mr. Wine found himself pushed against the wall when his chief advisor David Lewis Rubongoya came under attack as pro-Mpuuga spin doctors rejected his Kampala Central MP bid on grounds that he should be standing in Western Uganda where he hails from and where the opposition has always struggled to get formidable candidates to field against NRM ones. The same argument continues to be made against Alex Waisswa Mufumbiro’s bid to run for Nakawa East MP Seat (it’s a fallacious one though).
Kyagulanyi, who used to quietly enjoy himself as Besigye’s suitability was being disputed simply because of where he comes from, recently sweated plasma in the NBS studios as Adam Kungu demanded that he responds to the pro-Mpuuga media activists who were out decampaigning his Mufumbiro and Rubongoya’s Nakawa and Kampala Central bids merely because they aren’t Baganda.
And, having been effectively caught up in his own propaganda and contradictions, a tensed up Kyagulanyi rightly explained that it was inappropriate for leaders to be written off, rejected and de-campaigned merely because of where they come from. He seemed not to recall that was all his adherents spent years (2017-2021) using to target and demonise Dr. Kizza Besigye, a man who undisputedly has paid a higher price for a better-governed Uganda than anyone else since Independence.
With NUP determined to get Rubongoya and Mufumbiro into Parliament as Kampala Central and Nakawa East MPs, that sectarianism and political parochialism of writing off people merely because of where they come from isn’t something the NUP foot soldiers, including Betty Nambooze of Mukono who used to parrot the same talking points on CBS radio before Mayiga chased her away because her bad manners, can deploy (against Kyagulanyi’s opponents) anymore.
They used to justify their sectarian rhetoric by deceptively claiming that Bagandas are rejected and shunned elsewhere in Uganda yet Buganda allows none Bagandas (like Fred Ruhindi etc) to win elective positions. That was deceptive and based on absence of information and knowledge. The truth is that Baganda have equally been accepted in other parts of Uganda including Theodore Ssekikubo in Banyankole-dominated Rwemiyaga, the Emmanuel Lumalas in Butaleja, the Bart K Magundas in Bunyaruguru, the Robinah Nabanjas in Bunyoro, the Gordon Wavamunno family in Rugaaga Isingiro just to mention a few.
Ssekikubo, wo has been winning in Rwemiyaga (which is over 80% non-Baganda) hails from Luwero Bulemezi where his Dad Kangave Mwagalwa emigrated from to go and operate as a Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) in Ankole. He died roughly 15 years ago and was buried in Bulemezi, his ancestral place. Until he tried MP-ship and failed (largely because he stood on the platform of NRM which majority Mbale City dwellers didn’t like), the late Dr. Hassan Galiwango used to win elections in Mbale even when he is a Muganda. In there, he succeeded both as a businessmen/schools’ proprietor and sports administrator under Mbale Heroes.
What all this illustrates is that tribal sectarianism, which the Kyagulanyi group was initially peddling, is simply illusionary, deceptive and can never be a sustainable way to do politics. The fact that Mathias Mpuuga, who finally belled the cat inside NUP, is a fellow Muganda is further disarmament of the original NUP way of packaging their political message.
The Mpuuga fallout has effectively demonstrated that anyone can fallout and become a problem for Bobi Wine regardless of their tribe or where they come from. Abed Bwanika, who has caused so much damage including questioning the principal’s sex orientation, is a Muganda too; implying it’s unsustainable to resent people merely because of their tribe or where they come from.
YOUNGEST PARTY:
The other contradiction the Nupians created themselves and has since caught up with them related to NUP being the youngest party. This was always problematic and untrue because you can’t be a political party with the most senior, longest-serving and most experienced actors in Buganda region, which is like the political capital of Uganda, and you keep calling yourself the youngest party (simply because you don’t want commentators and political pundits to hold you to a high standard).
Actors like Muwanga Kivumbi, Betty Namboze, John Sebuwufu, Michael Mabike, Lubega Mukaku, Kenneth Paul Kakande, Brenda Nabukenya (was Kyambogo Guild President more than 20 years ago), Matia Lwanga Bwanika (has been Wakiso LC5 Chairman for more than 15 years), Betty Ethel Naluyima (has been an elected leader or more than 25 years), Bakaluba Mukasa (who has been in public life since radio Simba’s inception in 1998), Florence Namayanja (who has been in elective leadership for almost 30 years), Dr. Emmanuel Sserunjogi Ow’eddembe or even Fred Nyanzi (who have been in elective politics since the days of Sebaana Kizito/the mid-1990s), Latif Ssebaggala (first became elected leader in Kawempe long before even Besigye became opposition leader), JB Nambeshe (who first became LC5 Chairman more than 15 years ago), Tony Ssempebwa (who has been elected Kasangati/Nangabo leader since the 1990s), Ronald Balimwezo Nsubuga (who has been elected leader since the days of Sebaana as Kampala Mayor), Moses Katabu (who has been elected Councillor in Kampala Central since the year 2001), Patrick Nsamba (who has been MP for that long), Lutamaguzi Semakula (who has been speaking at major Kampala radio talk shows for roughly 20 years), Charles Musoke Sserunjogi (who was Kampala Central Mayor as early as 2001), Abubaker Kawalya (pioneer KCCA Speaker), Joel Ssenyonyi (who was on NTV asking hard questions and was able to stand for MP position as early as 15 years ago in 2011 on the FDC ticket for Buganda youth MP), Henry Lubowa, Derric Mutema, Lulume Bayiga, Abed Bwanika (Kyagulanyi had all these people at some point), John Sebuwufu etc (who have been in the opposition politics for an eternity (actually longer than Kizza Besigye) and you call yourself a young party.
You can’t have Aisha Kabanda, who was such an influential private secretary to Museveni at State House and was even Kampala RCC among other things, and you call yourself a young party. You can only make that assertion because you are escapist and want to avoid being held to a high standard! And by the way what evolved into NUP was founded by the Kibalamas in 2004-and only changed name (from NURP to NUP) in 2020 when Kyagulanyi came on board.
A political party is comprised of individual actors, leaders and people whose collective experience and capabilities (or lack of it) make it strong or weak. You can’t have men and women with all these years of combined experience and you go around deceptively declaring yourself a young party. That would be shameful deception of unprecedented proportions.
A political party isn’t comprised of buildings or bricks or tones of steel from Roofings but people, individual actors who NUP has in plenty and between them are hundreds of years of great political experience since many of them have been around playing the political game since 1995 or even earlier in case of some of them.
Whatever it is, the Kyagulanyi-led NUP, which is now over 5 years old, can no longer seek to be excused for not doing things properly on grounds of being Uganda’s youngest party. We now have Mpuuga’s DF and Erias Lukwago’s PFF, which is barely two months old. NUP now must do things properly, including having proper elections, accountable leadership and transparent decision-making or dispute resolution mechanisms, because that deceptive shield of being Uganda’s youngest party isn’t available anymore.
You can’t fail or refuse to have proper inclusive elections, party organ meetings or even dispute resolution mechanism simply because you are Uganda’s youngest party, fearing to be infiltrated by the Junta. That cover is clearly gone with that place of being Uganda’s youngest party being taken over by DF and PFF.
LONG-SERVING INCUMBENTS:
In targeting Semujju Nganda (in favour of lawyer George Musisi) & Erias Lukwago (in favour of Balimwezo), the NUP adherents have maintained that these two have become the Museveni of the opposition because they have been incumbents for too long! Nganda joined active politics in 2011 and has been MP for 15 years. Lukwago first became elected leader (MP Kampala Central) in 2006 and has done 15 years (including the 5/2011-2016 period which he was deprived of after being forced out by State House-manipulated Lord Councillors some of whom are now big people in NUP) as Lord Mayor.
The huge contradiction in originating this hard-to-sustain argument is that, at the NUP decision-making table you have Betty Nambooze who has been Mukono MP (since 2010) for actually longer than Semujju has represented Kiira. You have Muwanga Kivumbi who equally has been MP for 15 years, just like Semujju. You have Brenda Nabukenya (was Kyambogo guild president in early 2000s) who has equally served in three Parliaments. You have Medard Segona (God bless him) who has been Busiro East MP for similarly long, having joined with Semujju in 2011 under the Ssuubi arrangement.
Logically, if being long-serving alone makes Semujju unsuitable, unqualified and ineligible, it equally diminishes Kyagulanyi’s current chief advisor Muwanga Kivumbi who is already seeking to be re-elected as Butambala County MP. In fact, Muwanga Kivumbi recently declared he will be the one leading NUP campaign operations in Buganda to target and force out disloyal and long-serving incumbents like Semujju Nganda. There are many other contradictions that are rapidly going to catch up with Mr. Wine and his ilk during this campaign season but for today, we shall stop here and leave it at that.
